Batman and Lady Gothika vs Hush
by PerkyGoth14
Summary: There's a new villain out after the introduction of Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman as Batman sets out against villains with Bat-Mite and Lady Gothika. However, LG herself is suffering from terrible stress and anxiety from school that it nearly cripples her performance in school which could get her into serious trouble as well as solving Atticus's family mystery to find his lost parents.
1. Chapter 1

**Setting: Justice League AU Adventures universe**

**Timeline: Before Justice League vs Fatal 5 and after Reign of Superman (To Be Written soon)**

* * *

**_Starring the voice talents of:_**

**_Jason O'Mara as Bruce Wayne/Batman_**

**_Jennifer Morrison as Selina Kyle/Catwoman_**

**_Jerry O'Connell as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman_**

**_Melissa Joan Hart as Cherry Butler/Lady Gothika_**

**_Collin Dean as Atticus Fudo/Saiyaman/Superboy II_**

**_Gabriel "Gabe" Khouth as Lionel Schwartz/Drake Maellard/Bat-Mite_**

**_Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane_**

**_Jessica DiCicco as Monique "Mo" Brown/Nature Girl_**

**_Maury Sterling as Thomas Elliot_**

**_Josh Peck as Thornton "Thor" Moltenscar/Thunder Boy_**

**_Rainn Wilson as Lex Luthor_**

**_Sean Maher as Dick Grayson/Nightwing_**

**_Peyton R. List as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy_**

**_Max Charles as Kevin Whitney_**

**_Justin Cook as Krypto the Superdog_**

**_Bruce Thomas as Commissioner James Gordon_**

**_Stuart Allan as Damian Wayne/Robin_**

**_James Garrett as Alfred Pennyworth_**

**_Geoffrey Arend as Edward Nygma/Hush/Riddler_**

**_Vanessa Williams as Amanda Waller_**

**_Jason Spisak as The Joker_**

**_Adam Gifford as Bane_**

**_Sachie Alessio as Lady Shiva_**

**_Hynden Walch as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn_**

* * *

This is Gotham City. And just like any other major metropolis, ironically enough, like the city of Metropolis, it has its problems with the criminal element. But tonight, that would be the least of concerns for billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, who was, at the time, attending a black-tie event at the city museum. Since they didn't want anything to do with the uptight socialites, his associates Lionel Schwartz and Cherry Butler were hanging back at the Batcave, just in case, any trouble came up that night.

"I'm clear, Alfred," said Bruce as he stepped off to the side. "Updates?"

* * *

"None as of yet," Alfred's voice replied as he worked in the Batcave. "Master Bruce, it is acceptable to take one night off. Speak to someone about sports."

"No envy, big guy," shrugged Lionel. "You gotta get out there, play the field, meet a lady. Even the Dark Knight needs a hobby apart from battling the scum of the criminal underworld!"

"Adopt a social life." Cherry suggested.

**_"Selina Kyle is here."_** Bruce soon replied.

"Perhaps Miss Kyle is merely enjoying the festivities," Alfred replied. "She hasn't been involved in any illegal activity for at least a year."

"...Selina Kyle..." Cherry said in a bit of shock from that name. "Is she dangerous?"

Lionel checked the files. "Unless being crazy attractive is considered dangerous, I'd say no on that," he replied. "And apart from being Catwoman, she actually seems pretty cool."

**_"16 months..."_ **Bruce mumbled from Selina's last dangerous crime.

**_"Come on, it's Catwoman,"_** Nightwing remarked through his headset as he was heard fighting some people in the background. **_"She's probably casing the joint. One second..."_**

**_"You were only supposed to be scouting tonight,"_** Bruce narrowed his eyes. **_"Sounds like it went sideways."_**

**_"Yeah,"_** Nightwing replied. **_"Found out the shipment was tonight, so I thought I'd torch it."_**

Just then, an explosion was heard in the background.

**_"Who knew heroin was so flammable?"_ **Nightwing asked.

"Stupid question, N.W." replied Lionel.

**_"I'll be there in five."_** Bruce soon said.

**_"Five? Where's the trust?"_ **Nightwing replied cockily.

Eventually, there was beeping and more explosions, but also some sirens.

**_"It's over in two,"_ **Nightwing then said. **_"Gotham PD is in, so I'm out."_**

"Classy, Dickie." Cherry deadpanned.

"Sir, do you have any idea what Miss Kyle's interest in the gala would be?" asked Alfred.

* * *

Selina glanced over at Bruce and gave a smirk.

Bruce smirked back. "I'll ask." he replied as he went over.

* * *

"Way to GO, Brucey!" Lionel exclaimed. "He's passin' the brass and going straight for the gold!"

Cherry paused thoughtfully at the mention of Selina Kyle.

* * *

"Well, knock me over with a feather," Selina smirked to the famed billionaire. "Bruce Wayne mixing with the swells. So what do they owe the honor?" she then asked.

"It's mandatory. I'm a board member," Bruce replied coolly. "How have you been, Selina? Anything new?"

"You could say I'm at a crossroads," Selina said. "I used to love my work at the gallery. But now..."

"Sometimes change is good." Bruce smiled.

"Like you would know." Selina smirked.

Lionel snickered at that.

"Bruce?" asked a brown-haired man, coming over. "You're actually here! You never come to these things; it's like seeing a unicorn in a $5,000 suit."

Bruce turned to Selina. "Selina, this is Thomas Elliot, good friend and world-renowned brain surgeon," he introduced. "Thomas, Selina Kyle.

"Hello," said Thomas. "And I wouldn't say 'world-renowned'; Maybe the US and parts of Canada."

"Tom and I were inseparable as kids," Bruce told Selina specifically. "Especially after losing my parents."

"You're not getting away this time," Thomas smirked to Bruce, leading him over to the bar as Selina followed after him. "Come on, let's have a drink. Tony, line them up."

Bruce and Selina soon smiled at each other at the bar table.

* * *

"Well, it seems quiet," Cherry said. "Probably a good time to pack it up and chill out with some-"

"Sorry to interrupt, Master Bruce," said Alfred, interrupting. "But I'm receiving reports that Bane has abducted a child. Ringing your phone now."

Lionel whipped around in surprise. "...I'm sorry, but I could've sworn you said Bane abducted a child..." he replied.

"I did," Alfred confirmed, making Cherry and Lionel groan as he pushed a button. "Ringing Master Bruce's phone now..."

Bruce's headset soon beeped to let him have an excuse to leave Selina. "This needs my attention," he then told the woman with an apologetic smile. "But it was good seeing you. I'd like to catch up. Soon." he then took his leave with a serious, grim look on his face.

Selina looked over as he left before pouting a bit. "Nice while it lasted."

"OF ALL THE DESPICABLE, VILE THINGS!" Lionel scowled as he suited up. "WHEN PEOPLE DO STUFF LIKE THAT... IT JUST PISSES ME OFF!"

"I'm right behind ya." Cherry replied as she also got ready.

"Be careful, children." Alfred told them.

"We will." Cherry and Lionel replied.

The phone soon rang until Alfred answered it. "Wayne Manor, who should I ask is calling?" he then replied.

**_"Are Cherry and Lionel there?"_ **Atticus's voice asked. **_"I can call back later."_**

"I'm sorry, but they're busy at the moment." Alfred replied.

"Relax, Alfster, I got this," said Bat-Mite, taking the phone. "Bat-Mite speaking." he replied in an Adam West impression.

**_"Very funny..."_** Atticus's voice said from the impression. **_"Bat-Mite, you mind telling my good friends that Thor and I would like to see them while we try to solve this mystery."_**

**_"What's the answer?!"_** Thor cried out, slamming his fists onto the table he sat in beside a board in front of them which they had clues to give them hints to where Atticus's long-lost parents were since no one could flat-out tell them. **_"Darn it! Gosh darn it! Gosh darn it to heck with all this sugar!"_**

"You kiss your pillow with that mouth?" Lady Gothika's voice deadpanned.

"Don't worry, sir; I'll personally ensure that they receive the message," Bat-Mite replied. "At least once we return from tonight's mission."

**_"Thanks, Bat-Mite,"_ **Atticus replied. **_"Hopefully Thor can calm down before Dad and I have to buy new furniture."_**

**_"GOSH DARN IT!"_** Thor cried out as he banged his head against the wall, making cracks appear.

"Good luck in your endeavors," Bat-Mite concluded before he hung up. "Alrighty then, let's get dangerous."

Lady Gothika then bolted off with Bat-Mite for their new assignment.

* * *

A live news report was soon being covered in front of Dupree Chemical Company.

"The scion of the Dupree Chemical fortune, eight-year-old Edward Dupree, has been kidnapped by the criminal known as Bane," An anchorwoman announced as the factory was crawling with police. "He has demanded an undisclosed ransom, which the family has agreed to pay, against police advice. Commissioner Gordon, do you have a statement?" she asked the man in question.

"Bane, if you're watching, we have your money," Commissioner Gordon glared into the camera as he carried a bag. "Don't hurt the boy." he then dropped the bag onto a droid which soon activated and began to ride into the factory.

* * *

Batman was then arriving in the scene as were Lady Gothika and Bat-Mite. One man was patrolling with a gun on the catwalk, but Batman leapt down and took him out quickly.

**_"The child was taken from the playground in broad daylight."_ **said Alfred over the comlink.

"That's low, even for Bane." scowled Bat-Mite. He took a small rock and threw it at another gun-toting goon on the ground floor, and it konked him on the head and knocked him out cold.

"Yes," Batman agreed. "It's not like Bane to be so public. Gothika, do you think you're ready to take on Bane?"

"I was forced to learn some wrestling moves in school..." Lady Gothika face-palmed a bit, thinking back to something from school.

"Good." Batman approved of that.

A young boy was shown to be tied to a chair with a man with a gun, keeping an eye on him.

Lady Gothika stuck out her tongue, aiming her Baterang and soon tossed it to get the guy, luckily hitting right on target as Batman then swooped down and kicked him away. "Heh... My aim's improved." She then smirked to herself.

Bat-Mite took out a pair of hedge trimmers and began clipping away at the ropes. "Relax, kiddo; you'll be back in your parents' warm embrace soon enough." he said.

"**WHERE IS HE?!**" roared a voice. It was Bane, and he sounded angry.

"Think you can kidnap kids in MY town?" Bat-Mite scowled as his eyes glowed red. "Not... While..._ I'm_ around..."

"Where's my **DAMN MONEY**?!" Bane snarled as Batman moved Edward out of the way as the villain's fist shattered the chair the boy was sitting in.

"Get out of sight." Lady Gothika told Edward which sent him running for cover.

Bane snarled as Batman soon swung right behind him to take him out with several Baterangs. Suddenly, a huge, monstrous creature that looked like a cross of a bat and a gargoyle lunged at Bane and roared in his face, looking ready to tear it off. Bane yelled out as he was shot down instantly.

"Whoa... Where'd that guy come from?" Lady Gothika wondered.

"What, you don't recognize me?" asked Lionel with a fanged grin.

"Hm... That makes sense." Lady Gothika hid a smirk.

"GET OFF!" Bane snapped, grabbing at his adversary.

"NO!" Lionel boomed. "YOU THINK YOU CAN KIDNAP CHILDREN IN THIS TOWN?! NOT ON MY WATCH, YOU WANNABE LUCHADOR!"

Lady Gothika soon had a random box of popcorn.

"Get off!" Bane snapped before attempting to fling him off with a piledriver.

But Bat-Mite clung on tight like a magnet to a refrigerator door.

"Get him off of me!" Bane demanded.

"Enjoying the show?" Batman asked his goddaughter.

"For the most part, yeah," Lady Gothika replied. "You got butter?"

"Got it." Lionel twitched his ear and buttered the popcorn before lifting Bane and flying higher and higher.

Batman let out a small sigh.

"Hey, Bane deserves it for kidnapping that kid." Lady Gothika defended.

"Up, up... Up... Up..." Bat-Mite exclaimed as he finally flew above the clouds, before finally dropping Bane. "Whoops, my hands slipped."

"Air bomb!" Lady Gothika called out.

Despite being an enemy, Batman grabbed onto Bane before he could fall dead, but decided to knock him out.

Bat-Mite flapped back to the ground and changed back to normal. "Aaaaand... Scene." he remarked.

"That was pretty graphic of you, Bat-Mite." Batman remarked.

"He pushed my buttons," shrugged Bat-Mite. "So I pushed back."

"Well, either way, he can't hurt anyone now." Batman then said.

"Hey, kid, you still there?" Lady Gothika called out for Edward.

Edward peeked his head out of hiding and soon rushed out to his three saviors.

"Like I said, kid, you'll be okay." replied Bat-Mite.

Batman knelt in front of the boy calmly. "Your parents are waiting outside."

Edward smiled to that and soon ran off happily since he was free from Bane, though came back over.

"Uh, you're welcome." Lady Gothika said.

Edward looked to Bane and gave him a kick before running off again to go and see his parents. "Asshole!" he then called out on the way out.

"...No comment." Lady Gothika sweat-dropped from that.

"Kid's got quite a mouth on 'im," Bat-Mite snickered. "And it's time that we left too."

"Let's go then." Lady Gothika added.

Batman looked curious as he found a leaf on Bane as that was pretty curious.

"Bat-Family..." A woman's voice said behind them, triggering them to fight again until they saw who it was. "Apologies for the interruption."

"Eh?" Bat-Mite asked, his ears poking up. "Oh... It's _you_."

"Lady Shiva," Batman added. "The League of Assassins has no business here."

"Perhaps we do," Lady Shiva replied as she stepped into the light. "The League has been in flux, different factions vying for power."

"And?" Lady Gothika asked.

"And in the chaos, the life-giving power of a Lazarus Pit was exploited by an unknown intruder," Lady Shiva stated. "I would ask if any of you know anything of this matter."

"No, but we'll look into it." Batman stated patiently.

"And get back to ya if we find out anything." Bat-Mite added.

Before anything else could be said, some other people were soon coming into the factory.

"Down here." A police officer's voice said as the door opened and closed.

"My thanks," Lady Shiva said on her way out. "It was a pleasure to see you work."

"Next time, call first." Batman replied sharply.

"Is it too much to ask for one quiet weekend?" asked Commissioner Gordon as he came inside.

"Sure looks that way, commish." Bat-Mite shrugged.

"Thanks for saving the day as usual," replied Commissioner Gordon. "Wait... Where's the ransom?"

They both looked and saw that the droid no longer carried the ransom money. Bat-Mite turned his eye into a telescope and looked up to see a woman in a form-fitting suit, carrying a bag out a window.

"Catwoman? Damn it!" Commissioner Gordon snapped.

"Time to play a game of cat-and-flyin'-mouse!" Bat-Mite remarked.

* * *

Catwoman soon made her escape with the money, jumping from roof-to-roof. Lady Gothika sighed softly in the background as it was time to chase after Catwoman.

"Catwoman!" Batman growled as he chased after her on a different roof.

"Took ya long enough." Catwoman smirked, cracking her whip as she made an escape with her whip, pulling herself over a huge gap between the two roofs.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!" A voice echoed as jet-black smoke suddenly burst out. "I am the fan-made reboot created to appease the viewers when the creators have failed them!" And finally, Bat-Mite stepped out of the smoke. "I... AM **DARKWIIIIIING DUCK!**"

Catwoman gave a small deadpan gaze.

"Out for a nighttime stroll, Miss Kyle?" Bat-Mite asked smugly.

"Yes, wonderful weather, isn't it?" Catwoman smirked as she kept running with her whip to help herself around until she soon seemed to run into a dead-end with no more roof left enough to escape with.

Batman and the others soon caught up to see her.

"Like the view?" Catwoman smirked as she went to leap off of the roof. "It's the only thing you'll catch tonight."

Bat-Mite sighed. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," he replied as he took out a fishing pole, and did the Perfect Cast maneuver, snagging her and pulling her back. "It's a little crazy, but sometimes crazy works."

"What do you want?" Catwoman asked.

"Some reward money..." Lady Gothika tried, gesturing with her hand a bit. "Hand it over."

"You're adorable..." Catwoman smirked, leaning over a bit. "Your mouse friend seems interesting too."

Bat-Mite sputtered at that. "...MOUSE?!... I AM _NOT_ A MOUSE!" he snapped. "SEE THE WINGS? THE POINTY EARS?! DOES _THAT_ LOOK MOUSY TO YOU, PUNK?!"

"Okay, take it easy with her..." Lady Gothika said, flinching a bit.

"But I'm the cat and you're the mice." Catwoman smirked.

"Ah, but usually, the cat is the one doing the chasing!" Bat-Mite countered. "And from what I saw, you did plenty of the running!"

"Feisty." Catwoman merely smirked.

"Erm... You're under arrest!" Lady Gothika said. "Anything you say or do can and will be used against you!"

"So on, so on!" Bat-Mite added.

"I see... Well, I know when I'm beat I suppose." Catwoman shrugged as not much else could be said here.

"Yep," nodded Bat-Mite. "Unless you somehow manage to escape."

"Wouldn't that be bad luck?" Catwoman hid a smirk.

"Yes..." Lady Gothika replied.

"Like this!" Catwoman said as she managed to break herself free from them and took that time to go. "So long~"

"Hey!" Lady Gothika cried out. "After her!"

Batman soon took out his grappling hook to go after Catwoman as a train seemed to be riding down some tracks in the meantime. As Catwoman used her whip to latch onto something else and swing off, Batman's grappling hook rope suddenly snapped, making him fall.

Catwoman turned back, looking shocked. "...No..." she exclaimed.

Batman tried to grab onto a passing gargoyle, but the head broke off, and he bounced off a trampoline and fell into an alley. Lady Gothika winced before she and Bat-Mite came crashing down to see Batman who luckily wasn't hurt. Batman grunted slightly as he looked around as he had a bouncy and soft landing. Soon Batman's body was surrounded by street punks.

"Toldja it was him... Fell outta the sky like a dead pigeon." said the first one. He bent down to reach for Batman's cowl, but it electrocute his hand.

Another thug pulled out a gun. "Only one way to deal with freaks like this..." he glared.

"Showtime." said Bat-Mite, but before he could attack, a whip pulled the gun from the punk's hand.

"Sorry, boys, but not tonight." Lady Gothika smirked.

Catwoman soon jumped into the scene to help out, kneeling protectively in front of the fallen three. "Back off, boys. They're mine." she then told them firmly, sheathing out claws from her hand like a true cat.

"How about we cut the big one in two, and then you?" One goon suggested.

"After we're done with you, he means." Another added.

"Naughty, naughty. There's a three-strikes law in this state, boys," Catwoman smirked before whipping at them and also fighting to scare them off. "That was one. Two. Three," she then lashed her whip against the final one, making him drop his gun, then lashed one last time against his butt as he ran off before falling with pain. "You know, some guys pay for that."

"Sad thing is... She's right," Bat-Mite remarked as he got to his feet. "...Thank you for the assistance back there; my apologies about earlier. I was feeling particularly irritable tonight, and the fact I haven't eaten has not helped."

"Hmm... I can probably excuse that... My little Isis gets the same way..." Catwoman replied.

"Yeah..." Lady Gothika said softly.

A motorbike was soon riding over suddenly.

"Whoops... Bat Sister..." Lady Gothika remarked to herself.

"Man, screw this!" said one punk, and he and his friends decided to scram.

"Excellent timing, Batgirl," said Bat-Mite. "But you need not worry."

"That was-" Catwoman began until a Baterang was thrown at her whip as she went to put it away. "Uncalled for..."

"Get away from them," Batgirl glared at her. "You're working with Bane and you're going down."

"Calm yourself, little girl." Catwoman smirked innocently.

"Come quietly and you won't get hurt." Batgirl demanded.

"Aw, that's adorable~" Catwoman replied smoothly.

"C-Come now, you don't have to fight Catwoman." Lady Gothika spoke up.

"Gothy, don't try to defend her." Batgirl narrowed her eyes as she soon fought against Catwoman.

"Look, we mean it," said Bat-Mite. "She... Helped us defend Batman. She isn't evil... Just neutral."

Batgirl growled, not taking any chances as she tried to fight against Catwoman.

Catwoman soon flung back away with her whip, getting out of the fighting as she evaded Batgirl. "Take care of your boss." she said as she took that time to leave.

"Ugh! He's not my boss!" Batgirl called out with a groan.

* * *

Lady Gothika looked soft as Catwoman suddenly left.

Bat-Mite looked at her. "...You alright, LG?" he asked in his normal voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm cool," Lady Gothika replied. "I was just thinking a little bit."

"Anything in particular?" asked Bat-Mite.

"It's... Nothing major... Let's check on Batman..." Lady Gothika said.

"Yeah... Sure..." Bat-Mite replied, though he sensed something very wrong within her.

"He should be fine, BG," Lady Gothika then told Batgirl as they came to Batman. "Bat-Mite gave him a softer landing than what could have been."

"Yep," Bat-Mite nodded. "Look, we can talk when we get home." He picked Batman's body up.

Lady Gothika nodded back from that.

"Alfred, Batman's hurt," Batgirl said on her headset. "Really hurt."

* * *

Meanwhile, Catwoman was dealing with business of her own as she returned to her hideaway with her ill-gotten gains.

"Any problems?" Another woman's voice asked, showing to be mostly green around the gills, but she was not sick as she was the one called Poison Ivy.

"Batman and his little friend with a kitten who still seems unsure of how to spend the rest of her nine lives." Catwoman stated.

"What happened?" Ivy asked.

"Batman couldn't keep up." Catwoman replied.

"You sound disappointed." Ivy remarked.

"Does it matter?" Catwoman asked, showing the bag from before. "I got the job done."

"Don't worry yourself with anyone or anything, except pleasing me." Ivy smirked.

Catwoman narrowed her eyes from that.

"Now bring me my money." Ivy then continued.

Catwoman reluctantly brought her the bag full of money.

Ivy smirked at this. "Good kitty; purr-fect," she remarked. "Say it for me."

"Purrfect." Catwoman grumbled out.

Ivy walked up to the catty woman before planting a kiss on her lips with a small smirk. "You can go now."

Catwoman soon took her leave so that Ivy could wallow in more of her greens... Only for the lights to cut out suddenly.

"What the fu..." Ivy started, before seeing a man whose face was wrapped in bandages.

"Not yet, Ivy," He remarked. "50-50, remember?"

Ivy glared, looking like she wanted to attack him with her plant buddies. "Since I can't control you, maybe I'll finish our deal another way." she then warned.

"Oh, I wouldn't," The man smirked eagerly. "If my vitals don't remain, well, vital, this herbicide bomb will make nasty work of you and your pets."

Ivy then got the message from that and backed off a bit.

"But let's not go down that road. I have a job that will pay 10 times what you made today," The man then continued before bringing out a little box for her. "Think of all the fertilizer you could buy. I even brought you a gift. Your favorite color, I believe."

Ivy smirked as she soon accepted the box before opening it to find something glowing and green inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the Batcave, the group was checking Batman over, as Jessica, Atticus, and Thor had come to retrieve Cherry and Lionel.

"His head injury is beyond me." said Alfred.

"He needs a hospital." said Nightwing.

"Batman can go to the hospital?" asked Batgirl.

"No, but reckless billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne can." replied Nightwing.

"Take the roadster to Forest Road near mile marker 82, and wreck it," Cherry suggested before winking. "Dick Grayson will take him to the emergency room."

"45 miles an hour should be adequate," Alfred replied. "Remember to tuck and roll."

"Pretty screwed up you guys have a plan for this." Batgirl mumbled as she walked away.

"I shall notify Thomas Elliot," Alfred suggested. "It seems Master Bruce will be spending time with his old friend after all."

"I never knew Bruce had any friends as a kid..." Cherry shrugged.

"I never knew Bruce had actual _friends_," said Lionel. "Funny how he just came to town, but I digress. Alright, guys, what's up?"

"We found another clue about where my parents are hiding!" Atticus replied.

"Really?!" Cherry asked.

Atticus nodded eagerly.

"Great," smiled Lionel. "What is it, and what do we have so far?"

"It seems to be something leftover from Valentine's Day." Thor said, taking out a paper heart.

"A heart... Hmm..." Cherry paused in thought. "What could that mean?"

"Better add to the board as another piece to this puzzle." Atticus replied.

"Okay..." said Lionel. "Heart. Probably means love. What else do we have?"

"Let's see..." Atticus said as he led them up to the board. "A picture of a married a couple who I assume are my parents, probably to mean 'your parents' then a bow-tie with the T crossed out with a plus with the letter L, and now this heart."

"Drell said he might come by with a weekly hint if we're stumped with what that all means." Jessica hinted for her little brother and his friends.

"I'll say this though," Atticus said. "Jessica?"

"Yes?" Jessica replied.

"I'm really glad that you're here with me now." Atticus smiled.

Jessica smiled back before hugging him tearfully. "Me too."

Lionel pondered on this. "Curious, this just doesn't seem to add up," he remarked. "That weekly hint can't come soon enough."

"Ugh... I just want this to be over..." Thor groaned.

"We can't give up though," Atticus replied. "We're almost there. I know we are."

Thor groaned again, hitting his head on the table as he held his head while sitting in his chair.

"Ease up, buddy," advised Lionel. "Giving yourself a head injury isn't gonna get us any closer to figuring this out."

"It's just so hard!" Thor complained.

"We'll figure it out," Jessica smiled. "I promise you."

"Hmph..." Thor pouted.

"I'll make some snacks." Jessica suggested as she walked off to the kitchen.

"Great idea," said Lionel. "Nothing gets the synapses firing like something to eat!"

"I know that's the truth," Thor smirked, crossing his arms over the table as he rested his head. "You guys gonna be okay about Batman?"

"Yeah, I think so," Cherry said softly. "It just felt kinda scary to see him hurt like that, but at least Lionel helped cushion the fall."

Lionel nodded at this. "Anyways..." he said as he led Cherry a few feet from the others. "What exactly was it you were thinking about back in the alley?"

Cherry glanced over.

"Please tell me..." Lionel said softly.

"Well... Okay... Just don't tell Bruce or the others yet..." Cherry said, holding out her hand to shake on it as this seemed to be a big deal to her.

"You have my word." said Lionel, holding out both hands to show that his fingers weren't crossed.

Cherry nodded to that. "I personally know Selina Kyle." she then revealed to him.

"You do?" Lionel asked in surprise.

"Well, you remember last week how I took some time off to be with my parents?" Cherry prompted.

Lionel stopped to think about it before nodding as he did remember.

"Well, while we were out, we went out to eat one night," Cherry said. "I went to use the bathroom and I ran into her there in the neighboring sink, and she said that she knew me. I didn't believe her, so when I came back to my parents, I explained to them what happened, so Mom told me that Selina was my estranged aunt. They had a rough time getting along which is why I hadn't met her up until just last week. Selina came over to visit and we bonded a bit... It was weird, but it was kind of nice for what it was. She then gave me something and offered to let me work beside her since we're family. I was very tempted by the offer, but I thought about you, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Batman, so I told her I'd think about it."

"Ah..." replied Lionel, nodding in understanding. "Well, if you DO choose to work with her, then I might as well come with to make sure things don't get TOO out of control."

"Thank you," Cherry said softly. "I guess that would be alright."

Lionel smiled. "Hey, if you're okay, then so am I." he replied, hugging her briefly.

"I should be fine a bit," Cherry said softly. "Hopefully we can help Atticus find out more about his parents if that big, ugly guy with the mole ever shows up."

Lionel chuckled. "Here's hoping, and double-hoping that he didn't hear you." he replied.

Cherry nodded to that.

Jessica soon made a homemade special pizza for everyone as they stared at the board as Thor began to pace around, nearly running a hole in the floor.

"Thor... Stop... You're making me nervous by doing that." Cherry said.

"I can't help it," Thor sulked. "I just want to solve this mystery already."

"You can't rush these things," said Atticus. "I wanna find my parents too, but rushing about won't get us there any faster!"

"That's right, you must all be patient, but it's good of you to help Atticus out." Jessica smiled.

Thor groaned as he tried to sit still. There was soon a sparkle of magic which soon showed Drell as he looked around when he arrived.

* * *

"Uncle!" Thor beamed.

"Hey, Shorty." Drell smirked.

"Perfect timing," replied Lionel. "Is this about the hint, or something else?"

"Hint?" Drell smirked.

"Come on, you crazy-haired man, give us SOME sort of hint!" Cherry replied. "Like what does this heart mean?!"

"You're lucky I can't turn you into a grasshopper..." Drell glanced at her. "Anywhoo, if you want a hint for one of your clues, I can tell you, but remember to ask wisely, or else I won't see you again until next week."

"All right..." Atticus said, taking a deep breath, holding out the heart. "What does this heart mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Drell asked, petting his little mole friend.

"It means... Love?" asked Lionel, curious.

Drell smirked, not saying anything from that.

"Oh, come on!" Atticus complained. "At least tell us what the heart is supposed to mean 'word wise'!"

"Hmm... Alright..." Drell said, petting his mole in a mysterious way. "The heart can symbolize 'love', but it can also say something is within your heart or in the heart of like a small town, such as where a water fountain would be or a council building."

"So like the center!" exclaimed Thor. "The center of... Something!"

"Yes... But the center of what...?" Atticus pondered.

"Sorry, but that's all we got for the week," Drell smirked. "See you next time."

"Why do you torment us so?" Cherry groaned.

"I'm sorry, but I swore in blood to never reveal verbally where Atticus's parents are." Drell said, showing a bandaged finger which made the group wince.

"I could've gone a long time without seeing that..." Lionel sighed. "But I guess we'll hafta figure it out once we put all the pieces of the puzzle together."

"I'm afraid so," Drell replied, unfazed before sniffing the air. "Mm... Something sure smells good."

"Erm... We're about to eat..." Cherry said. "I'd offer you some to eat, but, uh, don't you have to get going?"

"I can stay for a bite." Drell smirked.

"If you do, there might not be enough left..." mumbled Lionel.

"Hm?" Drell glanced over.

"Uh, he said if you do there might not be enough-" Thor began only for Atticus to cover his mouth.

"Thor, we don't do that around people who are more powerful than we are, remember?" Atticus scolded.

"But he's my uncle," Thor muffled. "I tell him everything."

"Not if you wanna stay unharmed," replied Lionel. "Whatever, it's not important."

Thor grinned bashfully as Jessica soon brought out pizza for all of them to share.

"Hello, Drell." Jessica greeted.

"Jessica..." Drell narrowed her eyes. "You grow out of your phase of torturing your babysitters with magic just for the fun of it?"

"I rarely ever use magic, Drell," Jessica replied like they were old enemies in a Wild West movie. "You of all people should know that."

"Whuh-oh," Lionel gulped. "Methinks thar be some bad blood between youse two."

"Are you a pirate now, Lionel?" Jessica teased from that accent.

"...Probably," Lionel replied. "But I digress: seems like you two aren't exactly on friendly terms."

"I had to babysit this little stinker for about six years." Drell replied, gesturing to Jessica.

"The Head of the Witch's Council babysitting?" Cherry asked. "Wouldn't you be too busy for that?"

"Normally, yes, but since I'm an old friend of her and Atticus's father, I owed him a favor," Drell narrowed his eyes. "Jessica developed magic at a young age, so I had to look after her to keep it in check since he and Atticus's mother were keen on living here in The Mortal Realm."

"I see..." replied Lionel as he ate.

"Save your uncle a slice, Shorty." Drell told Thor, taking himself some pizza.

"Okay, Uncle," Thor smiled. "I just love having friends."

"Yeah, I'm happy for ya," Drell smiled back. "You know, if those kids in school are still bullying, you, your favorite uncle could go talk to them."

"That's okay, Uncle Drell," Thor replied. "Though Mom says she can talk to their parents."

"Great idea, Thor's parents," Cherry said with cheerful deadpan. "He'll never get made fun of again that way!"

"You clearly don't know his parents," replied Drell. "They can be scary when they want to be..."

Everyone shrugged to that as they continued eating.

Drell luckily didn't eat too much as he went to leave. "Well, see ya next week," he then told them. "Happy solving~..."

"Erm... Bye..." Cherry replied.

Drell waved as he soon disappeared through the linen closet, shutting the door behind him which brought in the thunder and lightning.

"Sometimes, I wonder about that guy..." Lionel shrugged before taking out some action figures and playing with them.

"I know I do..." Cherry said distantly.

"Well, at least we have another clue," Atticus said. "Hopefully Dad doesn't mind me involved with this little mystery."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Cherry replied. "Clark seems cool with it and he would want you to be happy in solving this about your birth parents."

Atticus looked to her before warmly smiling as he felt touched by her kind words even if she didn't exactly smile at him.

Thor nodded. "Mm-hmm! We got your back, right, buddy?" he asked Lionel.

"What the big guy said!" Lionel agreed.

Atticus smiled tearfully to all of them. "You guys are real pals," he said to them. "I don't know what I'd do without ya."

"Go insane from isolation?" Cherry smirked playfully.

"I could say the same thing about you, Little Miss Sunshine." Atticus smirked back.

Everyone had a good laugh about that as they ate.

"I wish I could hang out with the heroes like you guys," Thor said to Cherry and Atticus. "That Justice League."

"It is a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of hard work." Atticus replied.

"Oh, yeah..." Cherry added. "Big time."

"I wish I had a hero who'd let me be their... Pierogi." Thor said.

"Protégée." Atticus corrected with a chuckle.

"That too." Thor replied.

Lionel rolled his eyes. "So, you're saying you want to be a Polish dumpling...? Cuz that's what a pierogi _is_..."

"Nooooo..." Thor rolled his own eyes from that. "I wanna be a little sidekick you guys are to Batman and Superman."

"We're NOT sidekicks," said Lionel. "That's basically saying we're not as good as them. We... Are their teammates."

"Teammates... Pierogies... Helper monkeys... I want in on that action." Thor smiled.

"Fine, if you want," Lionel shrugged. "Just don't phrase it in such a... Demeaning manner."

"Heh... Sorry..." Thor smiled sheepishly. "I'm a little new to this."

"You'll adapt," Atticus smiled softly to him. "Like being our friend."

"Yeah!" Thor beamed.

Everyone had to agree on that point. Thor beamed happily to actually have friends.

"When do you gotta go?" Atticus asked.

"Another hour or so," Thor pouted. "Maybe we could play a quick game before my folks pick me up?"

"Sure, buddy," Atticus smiled. "Whatever you want."

Thor beamed happily to actually have friends.

"When do you gotta go?" Atticus asked.

"Another hour or so," Thor pouted. "Maybe we could play a quick game before my folks pick me up?"

"Sure, buddy," Atticus smiled. "Whatever you want."

So Atticus and Thor went off to play for a little while.

* * *

"I guess we'll make a hospital visit later on," Cherry suggested to Lionel. "Ugh... I don't like hospitals. They're so creepy..."

"Thought ya liked creepy things!" Thor's voice called out.

"Not like that, Jumbo!" Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it's cool," replied Lionel. "Everyone has standards."

"But yeah, we'll go visit Bruce when we can." Cherry then continued.

"Solid plan," nodded Lionel. "...In the meantime, I suppose we could go visit your Aunt Selina."

"Uh... Yeah... If I can bring company with me..." Cherry said softly.

"Fine by me." replied Lionel.

Cherry glanced over bashfully as Jessica put the board away until next week.

"Hahaha!" Thor maniacally laughed as he played Mario Kart with Atticus as Bowser vs Mario. "I got ya now, ya little plumber!"

"That's what YOU think, Lizard Lips!" Atticus replied. "Fear my... BLUE SHELL OF DOOM!"

"Oh, no! Not the blue shell!" Thor cried out.

Cherry hid a small smirk from Atticus and Thor having fun together.

"Kinda nice... Moments like this." Lionel remarked.

"Yeah..." Cherry replied. "Makes me see that life can be worth living outside of the bad times I seem to look more into."

Lionel gave her a warm smile. "Alrighty then; let's go." he replied.

Cherry nodded softly as she began to follow after him.

* * *

So they both headed out into the city, eventually coming to an apartment.

"This must be the place..." remarked Lionel. "...It _is _the place, right?"

"Yeah, this is it," Cherry replied. "Um, a quick favor? My parents don't know I'm around here... Deal?"

"Deal!" Lionel nodded, zipping his mouth shut.

Cherry nodded back and pressed the call button she was supposed to press.

"Yes, who is it?" Selina's voice asked.

"Erm... Kitten is here!" Cherry replied.

"Oh, of course... Come on in, my little dear~" Selina's voice said before the front door unlocked.

Cherry went inside, and Lionel followed behind as the door closed shut. They went up to Selina's apartment via the elevator. Lionel and Cherry stood together in silence for a bit. Cherry saw that a wrist was visible from her long sleeve and moved it a bit to hide her wrist as it seemed to be slit slightly. Lionel glanced down at that, and sighed quietly.

* * *

They soon came up to the door as Cherry did a special knock on the door to let Selina know that it was her.

Selina soon opened the door and smiled once she saw who it was. "Hello, Kitten."

"Hi," Cherry replied. "I brought some company along, but he promised to keep what he saw to himself."

"Oh, sweet," Selina smiled. "You have a little boyfriend."

Lionel blushed as he shuffled his feet. "Aw, shucks... Pleased to meet you, Miss." he grinned.

"It's nice to meet you too," Selina replied as she soon came to a chair as a cat leaped into her arms. "Make yourselves at home. Kitten, are you hungry?"

"No, thank you." Cherry said softly.

"Then maybe something to drink?" Selina smiled.

Cherry shrugged a bit. "Sure."

"Nice place you got here." said Lionel as he looked around.

"Why, thank you," Selina replied as she decided to get them some drinks. "I do my best to keep it in shape."

"And you do a marvelous job of it!" Lionel replied.

"Just wait a few moments." Selina smiled as she decided to make a special drink in the kitchen.

Cherry watched her go, feeling a bit distant before crouching into a ball shape with her eyes squeezed shut with tears in her eyes as she heard angry and bitter voices echoing in her head, not just from school, but also at home.

"Hey... You okay...?" Lionel asked, seeing Cherry having some sort of trouble. "...Cherry...?"

"Please... Stop..." Cherry whimpered quietly. "You love each other... Why are you angry at each other now?"

"Cherry... What is it?" Lionel asked. "Are you okay?"

Cherry curled up into a ball, not answering him at first.

"Kitten... Kitten!" Selina's voice called.

Cherry soon looked up as she seemed to have some sort of panic attack.

"Sweetie..." Selina said, coming up to her niece. "It's alright... It's alright... No one's gonna hurt you."

Lionel looked scared. "...What just happened to her?" he asked, confused.

Cherry soon latched onto Selina, shaking like she was badly scared.

"I guess she hasn't told you?" Selina asked as she tried to calm Cherry down.

Cherry soon pulled on her own hair which seemed to fall out on its own like she was shedding.

"Lionel, I'm so sorry, give us a few moments..." Selina said softly as Cherry looked broken inside and out.

* * *

As she left, Lionel was alone on the couch with a cat.

"...I wish I could do something to help..." said Lionel sadly. "Damn it all... I hate seeing her so broken... So traumatized..."

The cat mewed and purred, nuzzling up against him.

"You too, huh?" Lionel asked with a sigh. "I guess we're both up a creek without a paddle."


	3. Chapter 3

Eventually, Selina came back out with some hot chocolate for Lionel. "I'm sorry about that," she then said. "I'm not sure what could have triggered her that time."

"Triggered?" asked Lionel. "What do you mean? Wh-What happened to her?! Why did she just zone out like that?!"

"Well... Cherry came to visit her parents one week..." Selina said. "I happened to run into her, I thought we could talk since we're family and all. I saw that Cherry seemed unhappy at home."

"Her parents don't seem like the abusive type," Lionel replied. "Her dad seems big and strong in his own way, but I don't think he'd hurt her or her mom."

"Cherry's parents don't abuse her... They neglect her..." Selina explained. "Their marriage hasn't been on par as it used to be and it's fallen apart recently. I'm not sure why myself, but... They argue with each other every night and every day... Cherry's father is usually drunk and her mother scolds him for it. They'll fight about anything that happens to get them fired up enough... Cherry's been bullied in school... No one seems to like her except for Atticus. She tries to tell them about school, but they never seemed to listen about school unless her grades were in jeopardy."

"Oh..." Lionel replied. "I... I never knew..."

"Not like she ever bothered to tell me..." replied Lionel.

"She hasn't said anything... Dark, has she...?" Selina asked warily. "Like 'Everyone would be happier if I were gone' or 'I wish I was never born'?"

"A couple years ago, yeah..." said Lionel. "It was... Back when we were helping a friend deal with her own parental issues... Also, when we were coming up in the elevator, I noticed that there were cuts on her wrists..."

Selina sighed a bit. "Looks like she's still cutting..." she then said. "I offered to let her stay with me and help me out with my own stuff going on in my life so we could help each other. I won't force her, but I really hope she agrees to stay here with me until she gets back on her feet."

"Look... I'll do whatever I can for her..." said Lionel. "I know she'd do whatever she could for me. If you don't mind... I'd like to stay with her. I promised that I wouldn't tell her parents."

"Well... Perhaps... If she's alright with that herself..." Selina said warmly. "I think that might be a good idea if you stayed too."

"Thank you, Miss Selina." Lionel replied.

"You're welcome," Selina said, giving him a cup. "Have some hot chocolate."

Lionel took it and drank it slowly. "...This is okay... I hope she'll eventually get better..." he replied as he took another sip.

"Just give her a few moments and she'll be right back," Selina said softly. "I guess she just had a little moment. It tends to happen at random times, but I can usually tell why it happens or when it's going to happen. Just let her lie down for a few minutes and she should be right back."

"Well... Alright." said Lionel, finishing up before cleaning and putting his cup away.

Selina and Lionel sat alone together a few moments. It felt nice and all, but without Cherry, it felt so awkward since the two didn't talk to each other for a while after talking about Cherry's conditions as she seemed to be mentally tormented by soul-crushing reality. Cherry soon came out, her hair a bit frizzy with dark circles under her eyes and some color restored back into her face.

"Ah... There's my little Kitten..." Selina said. "Feeling any better?"

"I think I need something sweet." Cherry replied softly.

"Of course, let me get you some of that hot chocolate." Selina smiled as she got up then to fetch it for her.

Lionel looked up at her. "...I'm glad you're okay," he said. "Words can't describe how worried I was..." he then ran over and hugged her.

"I was... Sort of in another world..." Cherry said softly to him.

"Well... Try to stay in THIS one," replied Lionel. "People here still care about you."

Cherry looked to him, a bit bleary-eyed though with a lot on her mind.

"I just wanna say... I'm sorry," said Lionel. "If you ever wanted to talk and I didn't listen... Then I apologize."

Cherry looked away shyly, not saying anything from that.

"Here, Kitten, have some hot chocolate." Selina soothed, giving Cherry a cup.

"Thank you." Cherry said softly, as she took it and sipped it.

Lionel sighed.

"She's like a cat," Selina told Lionel said. "Just give her some privacy."

Cherry continued to drink her hot chocolate until she looked like she felt a little better on the outside so far.

"...Okay," replied Lionel. "I guess I could do that."

"Feel better, Kitten?" Selina asked.

"Much," Cherry replied. "What were we talking about?"

"Erm... Proper kitten care," Selina winked innocently. "Right, Lionel?"

"Oh," said Lionel. "...Sure, you could say that."

The rest of the visit seemed better now as Selina kept them company.

"How's school?" Selina asked.

"Trying my hardest to study, but it feels annoying." Cherry said.

"It'll all be worth it in the end." Selina reassured.

"Yep," Lionel agreed. "I got'cher back."

Cherry rubbed her arm before wincing from a spot there which seemed to be a bruise, but she hid it of course.

* * *

Eventually, some time had passed and Cherry ended up falling asleep on the couch with Lionel, so Selina covered them in blankets. She went to bed as the two slept after that. Cherry tossed and turned a bit as her nightmares plagued her a bit as she went into a deep sleep.

* * *

Cherry found herself in the girls' bathroom as the mean girls cornered her against the wall before they took turns beating her up and calling her names as they made her feel worse than she already had. It was a lot like the story of _Carrie_ by Stephen King.

"...Looks familiar..." Lionel muttered.

"You know what this means, right?" The alpha girl smirked. "You don't use this bathroom anymore. From now on, you use the freaks' bathroom downstairs."

Cherry mumbled something in response.

"Oh, right, you can't speak up for yourself..." The girl kept her smirk. "You're a mouse."

Lionel's body began to materialize inside the dream realm. "You know... It's shit like _that_... Which makes me mad..." he grunted.

Cherry curled up into a ball under the sink. The three girls looked over with glares at Lionel.

"Mind your own business," The alpha girl said. "This is the girls' bathroom, Freak."

"Well, when bitches like _you _pick on my pals... It becomes MY business." Lionel scowled.

"How cute... It's trying to mingle," The alpha girl smirked. "You two probably deserve each other."

"Why are you treating me like this?" Cherry muttered. "You said we could be friends..."

"Oh, dear, I was speaking ironically," The alpha girl smirked. "We were friends when you helped us with Mr. Pool's big Science Quiz, but your services are no longer acquired."

Lionel got angrier as his eyes glowed red and he floated. "Leave... Her... ALONE..." he growled.

The three girls looked up with disgust before looking a bit scared. Cherry began to cry as she looked terribly hurt.

"You will not harm her or speak badly of her ever again," Lionel spoke, his voice deep and growly. "For if you do...I shall hunt you down, one by one."

The three girls shook like a bunch of cowards before they soon ran off as Cherry curled up into a ball to cry her eyes out.

"Cherry... I'm sorry you had to experience that torment..." Lionel sighed as he returned to his normal form.

Cherry shivered while on the floor in agony. "What did I ever do wrong? Why does everyone wanna torment me?" she then mumbled.

Lionel came over and gently hugged her, patting her back. Cherry latched onto him as she began to cry a bit.

"There, there..." said Lionel quietly. "It'll be alright... You still have those who care for your well-being..."

Cherry sniffled before looking to him to show a black eye and she was bleeding a little bit.

Lionel channeled a bit of his energy into his right hand, which made it pulse with a cobalt-blue light. "I've had a fair deal of practice with this technique..." he said softly. "Time to see if it works." He placed his hand atop Cherry's forehead and began humming. As he hummed, Cherry's black eye faded away, and her bleeding soon stopped.

"Why...?" Cherry asked softly. "Why do I have to be so different from the other kids? Why can't I just be normal and happy like them?"

"Because... Sometimes people are horrible," said Lionel. "I don't understand it either, but I know that I don't have to just lie down and take it, and neither do you. I want to help you, and I'll do whatever I can to ensure your happiness."

"I can't really remember the last time I was truly happy." Cherry said softly.

"Hm... Then I'm gonna help you rediscover what it means to be happy," said Lionel. "Even if it kills me."

Cherry bowed her head with a quiet whine as she tried to settle herself down from the trauma of her bad dream. And Lionel once again patted her gently on the back.

* * *

Cherry soon woke up, then sipped more hot chocolate.

"It's getting late," Selina said. "I guess if you really want to though, you could sleep over."

"Oh, we couldn't do that..." Cherry said softly.

Lionel yawned a little bit. "Well, we could either stay the night or head back to Wayne Manor..."

"You look a bit wore out." Selina said.

"Erm... Thanks..." Cherry said, hopping off the couch. "I think we should get going."

"Oh... Okay..." Selina said softly from that. "You two get back to Wayne Manor safely then."

"Very well, then," said Lionel, taking Cherry by the hand. "Don't worry, we promise to come and visit in our spare time." He then snapped his fingers, and the both of them vanished back to Wayne Manor.

Selina let them get going as she went to put their cups in the sink.

* * *

Cherry let out a small sigh as they came back home.

"Home again, home again..." Lionel shrugged. "...I meant what I said, you know."

Cherry looked over. "Helping me find happiness?" she then asked.

"Yeah, and being there for you in good and bad times," replied Lionel. "When I say I'm willing to listen to your problems, I mean it. Whenever ya need me, I'm all ears."

Cherry gave him a small nod as she decided to get some chicken wings as she felt hungry now.

"I'll take that as a yes." Lionel said to himself.

"Hopefully Bruce is getting taken care of alright," Cherry said. "I feel more comfortable here than back home."

"I know what you mean," replied Lionel. "This place just feels more like a home to me than anywhere I've ever been, apart from Miss Kyle's apartment."

"So... What happens...?" Cherry asked. "After you were born, I mean... Did you just wake up in the world all on your own?"

"Yeah, pretty much," said Lionel. "There were others like me, Super-Mite, Wonder Wo-Mite, Aqua-Mite; so on, so forth. I didn't really know what I was supposed to do with myself, until I saw one of the windows to the world; they allow my people to get a look in on the 3rd dimension. And I got my first glimpse in the form of Batman, you, Atticus, and the other Justice League members fighting Darkseid and his invasion force. Something about the way you all battled... Inspired me."

"That was a pretty crazy time," Cherry managed to smirk as she set the timer for 45 minutes while putting the chicken wings inside the oven. "Wasn't easy though, but it seems like even though we're teenagers, Atticus and I seem more mature than the adults in the League."

"Considering how much they tend to butt heads over things, I can't say I blame you," agreed Lionel. "Still... That was what led me to become The Dark Mite Detective: Bat-Mite, but I saw that even when the day was saved, Batman just seemed either downtrodden or sad. So I knew that I had to find some way to help him learn not to take life so seriously; otherwise, he'd never get out of it alive."

"Yeah," Cherry said. "Bruce/Batman means well, but there's still something empty inside... We share that sorta thing in common. He says I'm usually like the daughter he never had."

"Makes sense to me," replied Lionel. "But then fate took a hand, and for some reason, I was suddenly taken in for something I didn't do."

"Do you even know what happened that you got blamed for?" Cherry asked, taking out some sauces.

"No... I never found out," said Lionel. "And frankly... I'm okay with that. I never felt like I fit in there to begin with, so I'm glad I ended up here."

"Well, I'm sorry that had to happen to you, but at least you finally found a place where you like and belong in." Cherry replied.

"Thanks," replied Lionel. "And I found good friends too."

"Well, I do my best," Cherry said. "I've known Atticus myself for quite a time that I can't really think of what my life was like before he showed up into it."

"That's fair." replied Lionel.

"Yeah, it almost feels like magic," Cherry said. "I didn't think that existed."

"Until we met that girl who had family trouble, right?" Lionel asked.

"Yes, something like that." Cherry agreed.

"Also... I regularly do magic." said Lionel.

"Well, yeah, that too." Cherry admitted.

"Fair enough," shrugged Lionel. "Well, either magic or destiny. Like it was mine to end up here, and yours to become a hero."

"Or at least try while I'm a student." Cherry said before sliding on oven mitts.

"Right, that." Lionel replied.

"I dunno about you, but I sure am hungry right now." Cherry said as she took out the wings.

"I guess I could eat." replied Lionel.

Cherry split up the wings with him, but smirked playfully as she made her portion bigger than his just to mess with him.

Lionel rolled his eyes. "Whatever... I wasn't _that _hungry, anyway." he replied as he began eating.

Cherry then began to eat with him before it got too late.

* * *

Soon, they finished their wings and cleaned up their plates in the sink. Cherry then yawned a bit.

"Sweet dreams." Lionel smiled hopefully for her sake.

"You too." Cherry nodded sleepily as she went to her bedroom.

Lionel then went to his bedroom, got dressed in pajamas, and went to sleep. Cherry soon did the same and luckily, her dreams seemed to be a bit better that night.

* * *

Soon, the night gave way to morning, and Lionel was in the living room, eating a scrambled-egg sandwich with ketchup while watching television. Cherry mumbled as she came out of her room to get herself something as she glanced over at him.

"Good morning!" Lionel waved to her.

"Hey..." Cherry said softly, not fully awake yet. "Whatcha watchin', Scooby-Doo?"

"Sure, pretty much." replied Lionel.

"Wait, really?" Cherry asked in surprise. "Huh... I thought I was the only one who still watched that."

"For real?" asked Lionel. "Whatever for?"

"Samantha, Breanna, and Lauren say it's for babies." Cherry said softly.

"So? That doesn't mean that what they say is true." Lionel replied.

Cherry looked soft before she soon came to join him as she took a bowl of Froot Loops.

"Even if the animation is a bit dated, the voices are still good," noted Lionel. "And the characters are pretty memorable."

"Something about some cartoons... I just watch it and I like to pretend I'm in that world sometimes..." Cherry said softly. "It just looks so peaceful and carefree."

"Hey, same here!" Lionel exclaimed. "I thought I was the only one!"

Cherry shrugged bashfully as they sat together in front of the TV with some good old-fashioned cartoons. Alfred soon came by, checking on them and hid a small smile as the two bonded together.

And for a while, it felt nice to spend the morning in such a manner.

"Are you two going to visit the hospital today?" Alfred asked, jolting them out of their reverie.

"Uh... Yeah... Probably for lunch," Cherry replied. "I hear that place actually has pretty good food."

"I guess we'll be able to visit Bruce," replied Lionel. "He could use the company."

"I'll drive you over momentarily." Alfred said.

"Thank you, Alfred," Cherry replied. "Sounds good to me."

"Awesome." Lionel added.

Alfred smiled to them before walking off.

* * *

After finishing breakfast, they got dressed and Cherry finished up some homework while she still had some time. Lionel didn't really attend school yet, so he had very little experience with it outside of television.

"I'll be right there, just gotta finish up my homework." Cherry said.

"Wasn't working in school _enough_?" Lionel shrugged.

"Apparently not," Cherry chuckled. "But luckily, I know what I'm doing here unlike in Math."

"Heh... Small world," replied Lionel. "I'm not very good at that either. Other than the basic stuff: adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. You know, the stuff you'll actually use in real life."

"Yeah... Don't know why they gotta make it so complicated," Cherry rolled her eyes. "I guess school and life are just unpredictable like that."

"I suppose." replied Lionel.

Cherry soon finished up and put on her backpack. "Okay, ready to go when you are." she then said.

Lionel nodded. "Now's as good a time as any!" he replied.

Cherry then walked off with him as Alfred brought the limo out front to take them to the hospital with.


	4. Chapter 4

Inside his hospital bed, Bruce was shown to be fast asleep until he would receive visitors.

"Rise and shine, guess who came to visit!" Lionel announced as they came inside.

Bruce grunted a bit before smiling softly as he looked over. "Cherry... Lionel... You came..." he said to them.

"Of course we did," Cherry replied. "Can't imagine why we wouldn't."

"Sorry it wasn't sooner." Lionel added.

"It's good to see you both," Bruce said to them. "How's school going?"

"It sucks." Cherry smirked cockily.

"Oh, Cherry, don't say that," Bruce replied. "You love school."

"Sure... Only as long as my friends are there..." Cherry said slyly.

"Wouldn't know," replied Lionel. "Never been!"

"Yeah... Lucky him..." Cherry mumbled.

"Well, I'm glad you're both okay after that crazy night we all had." Bruce said to them.

Lionel nodded at that. They soon shared some lunch together from the hospital cafeteria. Bruce mostly ate some ice cream while Cherry and Lionel had their food.

"Ugh... This chicken is so good..." Cherry gushed. "School cafeteria food could take a lesson from this. Trust me."

"Now that's one lesson they won't pay attention to," said Lionel. "But then again, I'd be willing to."

"Why don't your bring your own lunch?" Bruce asked Cherry.

"Too lazy to get up in the morning to make my own lunch." Cherry replied.

"Good point." Lionel shrugged.

They continued to eat, trading some stories, but nothing too personal of course as Bruce enjoyed having them over. All in all, it was a nice little visit, even if it only lasted for a relatively short while. Cherry helped adjust Bruce a bit in his bed with a small smile to him.

"Thank you, Cherry," Bruce said to her. "You can be quite helpful."

"I try." Cherry shrugged bashfully.

"And more often than not, she succeeds!" added Lionel.

"We'll take care of the mansion for you until you get better." Cherry said.

"I feel better already from knowing that." Bruce smiled softly.

"Until then, I call dibs on the car and the suit." Lionel stated quickly.

"I don't know about that." Bruce smirked.

"Too late, I already did it." Lionel replied.

"You did what now?" Bruce asked.

"Gotta go." Cherry smirked.

"Bye~ee!" Lionel waved as he teleported them both away.

"Those two..." Bruce sighed softly with a small chuckle before he seemed to fall asleep once he was alone.

* * *

And so, Lionel and Cherry once again returned to Wayne Manor.

"Well... That was fun." remarked Lionel casually.

"Yeah... It was pretty good seeing him... Though that hospital felt a little eerie at times..." Cherry replied.

"How so?" asked Lionel.

"I just hate being around hospitals in general," Cherry replied. "They just feel... Creepy... Not sure why though."

"Curious." nodded Lionel.

"I guess cuz... You could be sent there... You could either come back alive and healthy or... You could die..." Cherry said a little sickly.

"Fair point," replied Lionel. "But it's just... 50/50, you know? Half the time, people come back, but not exactly too healthy."

"Mm-hmm..." Cherry nodded. "It just feels... Eerie... Ugh... New topic before I lose my lunch."

"Uh... Okay," Lionel replied. "...Wanna go watch TV?"

"Sure." Cherry nodded calmly from that.

* * *

And so they went to watch cartoons.

"I liked Tiny Toons and all as a kid, but I liked Animaniacs a lot better," Cherry commented from what they watched with a classic cartoon channel on. "Plucky doesn't seem to do a whole lot wrong like Daffy Duck would."

"True," agreed Lionel. "He seems like he's just trying to get his own fame, considering Daffy used to be the big shot in the WB shorts before Bugs came around."

"I didn't like Daffy _over _Bugs, but I still liked him," Cherry said as Babs and Buster soon got Plucky in trouble just because. "Oh, come on! How is _that _even fair?! Plucky didn't even _do _anything and _he _has to get screwed over?!"

"Because the rabbits are the protagonists and they apparently always have to win," said Lionel. "Also, people see Plucky as just being a recolored copy of Daffy, right down to the voice, so nobody really cares if he gets thrown under the bus."

"Whoops..." Cherry said, changing to a different cartoon. "My finger slipped."

"Heh... Good one," Lionel smirked. "Say, what's this?"

"Eh, just some Mighty Ducks," Cherry shrugged. "It can be pretty funny when it wants to be."

"Hmm... Okay." replied Lionel as he watched with her.

"Best thing on at this hour," Cherry said. "I'll see you after school tomorrow, right?"

"I'll be waiting for you at the door," Lionel promised. "You can tell me all about your day."

"Oh, thanks." Cherry said then.

"Think nothing of it," replied Lionel. "'Tis the least I could do."

"You ever think you might wanna go in and become a student?" Cherry winked with a smirk.

"Of course not," blushed Lionel. "I'm not interested in self-inflicted torture."

"Hm." Cherry rolled her eyes playfully from that.

"Don't worry... I find ways to entertain myself... Apart from waiting for you and everyone else to get back home," said Lionel. "This town is rife with activity."

"Well, that's good," Cherry replied. "I was starting to think you just sat there for seven hours until I'd come out with the others at the final bell."

"Course not!" replied Lionel. "My attention span isn't that good!"

"Heh..." Cherry replied. "Alright, I'll tell you about it when I go back tomorrow with the others."

Lionel nodded in response. "Although I might just pop up if those creeps give you any trouble." he added.

"Erm... Alright," Cherry replied. "There shouldn't be much trouble though... Heh."

"Here's hoping." replied Lionel.

* * *

Later that night, they went straight to sleep as Cherry had to go to school the next morning.

Cherry checked on Atticus as he kept dreaming about meeting his blood parents as they seemed to keep slipping away from him. "Aw, Atticus... You'll find those two..." she told her best friend as he kept dreaming. "I promise."

* * *

The next morning, Bruce, Dick, Alfred, and Damian came into the kitchen...and saw Lionel trying to fight off a pots-and-pans monster as there was a large spread of breakfast food on the table.

"Uh..." Bruce blinked.

"What the heck...?" Damian muttered.

"Long story!" Lionel exclaimed, kicking the creature's head off.

"Good Lord... What are you up to now, Master Lionel?" Alfred sighed to him.

"I was trying to make breakfast," replied Lionel. "And... Then I got bored after that."

"May I suggest that I help you out?" Alfred suggested as it was his job.

"I... Had it covered," replied Lionel. "Until I finished and got bored."

"Well, then..." Alfred replied. "I suppose we should take to breakfast then."

"That's what the morning is for anyway..." Damian remarked cynically.

And so, they sat down and began eating as Cherry came inside.

"I didn't oversleep, did I?" Cherry asked. "I didn't hear my usual alarm."

"Oh, I thought you could wake up with something a little more peaceful," Lionel smiled. "That old alarm sounded like it was nagging at you to wake you up. I know how Monday mornings are tough for you to wake up with."

"Oh... Uh... Thanks..." Cherry replied with a bashful shrug as she came to join them. "I better make this quick."

"Sure," replied Dick as he ate his pancakes. "What's on your mind?"

"Tests... Homework... Black and white gelatin from the school cafeteria which looks like it came from the Biology Lab... Climbing up the rope in Gym Class..." Cherry rolled her eyes. "You know, typical school stuff."

"Why do you even still go to school if Bruce wants you here as a sidekick?" Damian asked.

"I'm not his sidekick, I'm a young ward." Cherry defended.

"Yeah... A sidekick." Damian smirked like an annoying little brother.

"Oh, and then what does that make _you_?" retorted Lionel smugly. "Considering Robin has always been known as Batman's sidekick."

"...No one likes a smart ass." Damian huffed.

"Feeling's mutual, buddy." Cherry smirked.

"Yeah, so either stick a fork in your breakfast or get lost," said Lionel. "Nothing said I HAD to feed you too."

Damian rolled his eyes.

"Bruce, why are you back from the hospital so soon?" Cherry asked. "Shouldn't you be resting from surgery or something?"

"Turns out Tommy is a better surgeon than I expected." replied Bruce.

"Well, I guess that's at least good," Cherry said. "Uh... And as for after school training?"

"I'll meet you in the Cave right after school," Bruce smirked. "I think you've gotten soft lately since our last initiation fight."

"Oh, _she's_ gotten soft?" asked Lionel. "I didn't see _her _laid up in a hospital bed for the past couple days."

"No one likes a show-off." Bruce replied.

"I win." Cherry smirked as she ate some bacon that was cooked for her.

Lionel had packed his breakfast into his lunchbox. "Welp... I'm heading out." he grunted.

"Where you going?" Cherry asked him.

"Checking out the city," replied Lionel. "I mean my first plan was to shrink down, hide in your bag, and then head out once I figured you were out of trouble at school."

"Like you'd do that..." Cherry said. "...Would you?"

"Knowing him, probably." Dick replied.

"Lovebirds..." Damian muttered sickly.

"Jealousy isn't very becoming." replied Lionel smugly.

Damian rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I gotta go." Cherry said as she finished eating.

Bruce gave her a paternal hug before letting her go. "Good luck on your test." he said to her warmly.

"Thanks." Cherry said as she then took her leave.

"Once again, I'm gone," said Lionel, tipping his hat. "See you around." and he walked out.

"See you later." Bruce replied to him.

Cherry grabbed her backpack and soon went to get herself to school for the day. Soon, everyone else had left for the day to do their own things. Bruce soon went straight down to the Bat Cave to get to work while he could even though he was supposed to be resting, but hey, that's just Bruce.

"Dr. Elliot recommended a minimum of two more weeks of bed rest." Alfred told Bruce as the Bat Computer booted up.

"Can't be helped, I need to go to Blackgate Prison," Bruce replied. "Tell Cherry as soon as she gets out of school to meet me there."

"Duly noted, sir." Alfred replied.

"Of course Lionel too." Bruce said.

"Of course." Alfred nodded to that as it was almost 3:00 now.

* * *

Cherry sat in her desk at school, staring at the clock as she held her textbook close to her face so it would look like she was reading and paying attention during her final and rather boring class of the day: History with Mr. Kane. "Come on... Come on..." she muttered to herself as the clock hands seemed to freeze in place while most other students had fallen asleep in their desks.

Mr. Kane seemed to drone on about the French Revolution, even though nobody was really listening. Most of the students either glared, fell asleep, or just stared at the clock. You know a class is boring if Cherry isn't paying a whole lot of attention.

"The French Revolution started in... Anyone? Anyone?" Mr. Kane droned slowly, prompting to see if anyone would speak up before he would say for them as they didn't speak up. "May 5th, 1789... It was was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France and its colonies..."

"Shuuuut uuuup..." Cherry mumbled in her book.

Soon, the bell finally rang, much to the relief of the class, and the students wasted no time peeling out of the classroom and heading for home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lionel was battling alligators in the sewer when his alarm went off. Checking the watch, he gasped. "Uh-oh... Only a few minutes 'til Cherry gets home!" he exclaimed as he climbed out of the sewer and ran back home, with a street band playing the Ren & Stimpy theme song in the background.

Cherry walked off from her locker as she grabbed her backpack straps a bit confidentially before looking over to see the mean girls and quickly rushed down the other side of the hallway to dodge them.

"Hey... Going somewhere...?" A bigger and burly girl smirked to Cherry as they ran into each other.

"Hi, Courtney..." Cherry said with misfortune.

The other students came out of school to get home as Lionel went to his usual waiting spot.

"Ah... Good timing," said Lionel, before he spotted Cherry's little altercation with Courtney. "Saaaay... What's a-goin' on ovah here?"

Courtney grabbed Cherry and soon dragged her to a toilet stall. "I failed my Algebra test..." she said with a growl.

"I told you I'm not that good at Math." Cherry frowned weakly.

"Yeah, but if I fail a test when someone offers me help, that someone's GOTTA PAY!" Courtney glared as she gave Cherry a swirlie for her "misdeed". "Hope you're thirsty, Emo."

Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Ahem."

Courtney turned around to see Lionel standing behind her.

"Ah, yes; I just wanted to ask if that's your face, or did they swap it with a monkey's ass?" he asked casually.

"EXCUSE ME?!" Courtney growled. "Who do you think you are and why are you in the girls' bathroom?!"

"Cuz I don't like it when big ugly gorillas pick on MY friends!" said Lionel, seeming to grow bigger. "Now... Here's how it's gonna go, you little piece of rot: you're gonna put Cherry down real gentle-like, apologize, and NEVER bother her again... **OR ELSE!**" he then let out a Godzilla-esque roar.

"...Jeez..." Courtney said with wide eyes as she let go of Cherry.

Cherry didn't move from her spot, but she was now crying as Courtney ran out of the bathroom like a coward.

"**AND IF I EVER CATCH YOU NEAR HER AGAIN, I'LL STOP BEING NICE!**" Lionel called, before turning to Cherry and cleaning her up. "I am _so _sorry you had to experience that."

"It's okay..." Cherry said softly. "She failed her test... It was my fault that I couldn't make a proper cheat sheet for her."

"So? Why should _you _have to cover for _her _mistakes?!" asked Lionel. "If she didn't study, it's her own damned fault she failed, not yours! I should've started coming sooner... This really _is _getting to be an even bigger problem!"

"I wanna do something, but I don't know what to do." Cherry said before wringing her hair a bit.

"Hey... It's okay," replied Lionel. "Because I intend to make sure nobody picks on or harasses you anymore."

"Excuse me..." Cherry said sluggishly.

Lionel nodded before Cherry suddenly came back to the toilet and threw up into it.

"Sorry..." Cherry mumbled before doing more.

"Take your time..." Lionel replied, looking away.

"I'm sorry, Lionel..." Cherry sighed. "I just wonder what I did wrong in life to live with this torture... I feel like I'm in a Stephen King novel."

"It's not your fault," replied Lionel. "C'mon then... Let's get you home."

Cherry soon slowly stood up and walked off with him as the school was nearly empty by now.

* * *

As they left, it began to rain, so Lionel gave Cherry his umbrella and got electrocuted as a result.

"Oof... That's not good..." Lionel said.

"Stupid rain..." Cherry huffed a bit, wiping her eyes.

"Ah, it's nothing," replied Lionel. "I'll just teleport us home." he twitched his nose and vanished with Cherry, arriving inside Wayne Manor.

Cherry wiped her feet on the mat on the way inside before sniffling a bit. "Why does life have to be so unfair?" she then sulked.

"Hell if I know," said Lionel, drying himself with a snap. "But one can either complain about it, or find some way to fix it. Lucky for you, I can help."

"I guess that just makes life a little more bearable." Cherry shrugged a bit.

"Hey, if I can help you, it makes me feel better cuz I know I'm doing SOMETHING right." smiled Lionel.

"Hmm... You can try..." Cherry replied. "I just feel like my life is cursed somehow."

"That just makes it more of a challenge," said Lionel. "And I don't back down from challenges."

"Hmm..." Cherry replied.

"Cherry," Alfred said as he came to the girl. "Bruce has asked you to come to Blackgate Prison with him."

"Now?" Cherry asked.

"Tonight," Alfred replied. "I do hope that your homework will be done by then so you can practice combat fighting until then."

"C'mon then," replied Lionel. "We can breeze through it in a few minutes, and I can teach you some stuff I learned back home."

"All right, let's go then." Cherry shrugged as she set down her backpack and walked off with him.

"Poor girl." Alfred said softly as Cherry was such a tortured soul.

Lionel glanced back at Alfred and nodded without a word as he walked off with Cherry.


	5. Chapter 5

Cherry sat in the training room with Baterangs on standby. It seemed to be intensely quiet so far until training ninjas shot out at her. Cherry then jumped up, tossing her Baterangs at them while yelling out.

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Lionel exclaimed. "That's seriously AWESOME! But remember to use the special technique!"

Cherry seemed to vanish, only to reappear behind a couple of training ninjas and take them out with Batarangs to the backs.

"YES!" Lionel did a fist pump.

"How was that?" Cherry asked him.

"Very good!" Lionel replied. "I do have a few more unorthodox techniques to show you, but I teach better by example. So lemme get in there."

"Alright," Cherry said as she moved out of the way, taking out the Baterangs that Bruce gave her before putting them back in her supply bag as she collected them.

Lionel cracked his knuckles as he came inside and waited for the simulation to begin. The simulation soon started. Cherry helped out with her special powers to make villains appear for Lionel to take on for the simulation.

"Alright, let's see who's on the ass-kicking roster!" Lionel remarked. "Lemme at 'em! Lemme at 'em!"

"You wanna try to face Darkseid like we did?" Cherry smirked. "I dare you."

"Hmm... Okay, I'm feeling especially confident tonight," replied Lionel. "I learned this next one from Earth television broadcasts."

Cherry soon gave him a challenge of going up against Darkseid like she and the others did before with the heroes who would later become their new mentors.

* * *

"Alrighty." Lionel cracked his knuckles, before blinding Darkseid with an ink grenade and clamping a bear trap onto his butt.

Cherry smirked as she sat back while watching him, helping herself to some grilled cheese. Several explosions were heard from inside, and when they cleared, Lionel stood triumphantly atop Darkseid's broken body.

Cherry applauded what Lionel had done. "Not bad." she then smiled.

Lionel took a few bows. "Thank you, thank you!" he smiled.

"Very good," Cherry said. "I think we could've taken him down just a little bit faster if you had been there at the time."

"Perhaps." replied Lionel.

"Bruce also advises to channel my bullies when I'm fighting physically," Cherry said. "Might be a good motivator."

"Sound advice," Lionel replied. "Heaven knows I wanted to tear that big ugly one a new backside."

"Well, we could use that energy for the next baddie or why ever that Bruce wants to meet at the Blackgate Prison." Cherry said.

"Another good idea," replied Lionel. "You're 2 for 2 today!"

"Heh... I try," Cherry shrugged bashfully. "I'm pretty smart... Aside from Math."

"Same here," agreed Lionel. "I hate that stuff! It gives me a migraine!"

"Luckily Atticus does a decent job at it so I don't end up failing." Cherry replied.

"Good on ya." nodded Lionel.

Bruce soon came up behind Cherry.

"Bruce?" Cherry replied.

"Suit up." Bruce told her.

"Yes, sir." Cherry said with chills.

"You know, most people knock before entering a room." said Lionel as he changed into his Bat-Mite suit.

"I've noticed..." Bruce replied as he went to change into Batman.

Cherry shuddered as she shook chills down her spine before going to her Lady Gothika outfit.

"Okay, then... Let's get to work." replied Bat-Mite as he climbed into the Batmobile.

Lady Gothika soon joined him as Batman went to drive them to the prison he asked them to go to with him. They then zipped off together in the Batmobile.

* * *

Meanwhile, something crazy was going on at the prison that concerned Bane.

"Moving Bane is unnecessary," Commissioner Gordon told the woman beside him firmly. "Waller, this is one of the most secure prisons on the planet."

"Security has nothing to do with it." Amanda replied.

"You have no paperwork, no orders," Commissioner Gordon glared before storming off. "I'm calling the mayor."

Waller continued standing there, even when a pair of triangular eye slits appeared behind her. "Wondered when you'd get here." she remarked without turning around.

"Aw, MAAAN!" Bat-Mite groaned. "And we were so quiet, too!"

"Argh..." Lady Gothika grumbled.

Batman soon stepped out of the shadows with the two beside him.

"Are you also gonna tell me I can't take him?" Waller then continued.

"Can't and shouldn't are different things," Batman stated sharply. "We need to speak with Bane."

"Regarding?" Waller prompted.

"I believe he's working with Poison Ivy and Catwoman," Batman explained. "I need to know why. Five minutes is all-"

"No." Waller interrupted with a sneer.

"I might have some information to trade." Batman defended.

"I'm on a schedule." Waller huffed from that.

"Another mission with your so-called Suicide Squad?" Batman retorted.

"Yeah, that bunch of mutton-brains has all the tact and subtlety of a freight train on cocaine." Bat-Mite added.

Waller's eyes widened before she saw something on the monitors. Apparently, Bane had escaped his restraints.

"What's going on!? I thought you sedated him!" Waller exclaimed.

"Yes, ma'am! Enough to tranq a whole herd of elephants!" said one guard.

"Guess he should've used two herds' worth." remarked Bat-Mite.

"Bane is using a new Venom," Batman informed Waller. "Makes him immune to your sedatives."

Waller gave him a bit of a look as she took out a container.

"I was going to tell you," Batman continued from her look. "These tranquilizers can be fired from the 20-millimeter guns on your helicopters. Stay back and we'll help you reacquire him."

Waller took the container before calling to the Dark Knight to stop him for a moment. "Batman. Stay out of my business and I might stay out of yours." she then said.

"Yeah, well, you're welcome, lady." Lady Gothika grumbled to herself.

"No promises, lady!" Bat-Mite remarked as he made a face at her while they left.

Waller watched them go with a stone-cold look on her face.

* * *

Meanwhile, a feline-based woman made way into a greenhouse before she soon felt dying plants and met uncomfortable company in the form of Bane.

"Where is my money?" Bane growled at Catwoman once he spotted her.

"How should I know?" Catwoman replied.

"Wrong answer." Bane snarled to her as he stomped towards her.

"Listen, freak, Ivy was controlling me," Catwoman told him as she backed away. "She made me steal your money."

"Hmm... Then you die first." Bane growled before grabbing a radiator and then chucked it out at her.

Catwoman tried to dodge, but she got hit, making her stagger.

Bane was about to punch her himself, when a huge explosion went off, sending him flying.

When it cleared, Bat-Mite emerged from the fog. "Let's... Get... Dangerous." he coughed.

"Catwoman, down!" Lady Gothika called out.

Catwoman ducked down then as a drone was out the window that then shattered, shooting a net out at Bane. Bane struggled as the net soon pulled him away out of the greenhouse as a helicopter came by outside. A gun soon shot rapid-fire tranquilizers at Bane which soon made him pass out from the injections. The drone then hooked onto the helicopter to take Bane away.

"The package is secure," Waller reported with her headset. "Move out."

Bane was soon airlifted away via helicopter.

"Thanks," said Catwoman. "It appears we're even."

"...Stay out of trouble," replied Batman as he walked off.

"Yeah... What he said..." Lady Gothika added, a bit urgently though.

"Wait, God... I know you're not big on conversation, but hold on," Catwoman told Batman. "You're going after Ivy and I want in."

"I have a code," Batman replied. "Revenge isn't part of it."

"Oh, Batman, maybe she should come..." Lady Gothika said.

Batman turned his head sharply at her which nearly made a neck snap sound.

"Heh... Okay... Or not..." Lady Gothika said in a breathy voice.

"Ew!" Bat-Mite winced. "But what about the addresses of her pheromone-controlled lackeys?"

"Hm... I just might know about that..." Catwoman smirked a bit. "Anyone knows where she went, it's the zombies who tended her plants."

Batman put his grappling hook down before looking to Catwoman as he said, "Give me the information and I'll take care of Ivy."

"Nope." Catwoman smirked innocently.

"Hmm... Fine, we work together on this," Batman growled out. "What's the address?" he then asked.

"Oh, I'm not done with my demands." Catwoman smirked as she tried to reach out for him.

Batman grabbed her arms to stop her.

"Tick-Tock. Trail's going cold..." Catwoman smirked.

Batman then loosened his grip on her as she soon tightened her grip on his.

"We've done this dance for so long," Catwoman smirked before leaning in for a kiss. "Aren't you just the least bit... Curious?~"

Bat-Mite and Lady Gothika glanced at one another.

"I can see what's happening, and they don't have a clue~" Bat-Mite started.

"They'll fall in love and our trio's down to two?" Lady Gothika guessed.

"Mm-hmm," said Bat-Mite. "Ze sweet caress of twilight, there's crime everywhere... And with all this cha-o-tic atmosphere...** DI-SASTER'S IN THE AAAAAAAIR!**"

The new couples' capes flowed in the wind as they kissed by the full moon.

"All right, let's go." Lady Gothika said.

"Don't rush me." Batman told her.

"Yes, sir." Lady Gothika said, instantly cold from fear.

"Wrap it up, lovebirds!" Bat-Mite tapped his watch. "We got a curfew, and these creeps won't catch themselves!"

"All right... Let's go then." Batman said.

Lady Gothika grumbled a bit as they soon went off together.

They came into a bar as a couple of guys began to shoot a game of pool.

"Hey... Do I know you?" An underage boy smirked to Lady Gothika.

"Ah... I... Don't think so..." Lady Gothika said to him as they came inside with Catwoman.

Bat-Mite scuttled off behind her. Lady Gothika walked off with a bit of a haunted look on her face as Bat-Mite glared to the guy who eyed her like a piece of meat. "We're gonna talk, ya grease monkey or else." she then glared to one guy.

"Heh... That's cute..." The guy smirked as he played his game.

"You better not hurt that cute little kitten." Catwoman firmly told him.

"Or else... You answer to **_me_**." Bat-Mite added, his voice becoming a deep growl on the last syllable.

The guy glanced over.

"We want answers and we know you've got 'em." Lady Gothika said, trying to be aggressive.

"Yeah, so spill, before we pry you open!" Bat-Mite added as he spun a crowbar like a baton.

"What do you wanna know?" The guy glared a bit.

"Where to find Poison Ivy." Lady Gothika demanded.

"Heheh... A little late to be playing superheroes, huh, kiddies?" The guy smirked cockily.

Bat-Mite chuckled. "Oh, ya got jokes, huh?" he remarked. "See how funny you feel when you get a crowbar upside the head and your arm broken!"

"Like a little kid like you would do that." The guy smirked.

Bat-Mite chuckled as he walked to the man...and then smashed his legs in with his crowbar. "**FEEL LIKE LAUGHING _NOW_, PUNK?!**" he snarled. "HUH?!"

The guy groaned a bit with agony as Catwoman sipped her drink casually.

"So... Where is the Plant Lady?" Lady Gothika asked.

"No more..." The guy groaned. "Metropolis. Ivy's in Metropolis."

Bat-Mite smirked. "Thanks bunches for your cooperation!" he replied.

"Hm... I love it when Batman does that." Catwoman smirked.

"I bet you do." Lady Gothika replied to her.

"It's me," Batman soon said on his headset. "Get the jet ready."

"Very good, sir." Alfred's voice replied.

"And pack the jewelry." Batman then added.

"Oh, dear." Alfred's voice sighed.

Catwoman looked curious. "...Jewelry?" she asked.

"Long story." replied Bat-Mite.

* * *

**_Meanwhile in Metropolis..._**

Atticus was fast asleep as he kept having the same dream he had been having for the past couple of months or so. "No... NO! Mom... Dad..." he groaned before yelling out in his sleep as he sat up in his bed, panting heavily. "Ugh... Another bad dream..."

Suddenly, his cell phone went off.

"Hello?" Atticus greeted groggily.

**_"We're coming over soon for an extended visit."_** Cherry's voice said on the other line.

"So if you have one of those inflatable mattresses, you might wanna keep 'em on hand!" Lionel added, sticking his head through the phone.

Atticus leaned back from that. "Yeah... Sure... No problem..." he said with a pant. "It'll be great to see you guys while Dad has to work."

"Well, alrighty then," said Lionel as he pulled his head back through the phone. "See you when we get there~!"

Atticus hung up and soon went to go to the kitchen.

* * *

Jessica was there with two cups of hot chocolate.

"Aw, Jessie... You're the best." Atticus said as he hugged his big sister.

Jessica smiled as she hugged him back. "Hey, here's an idea," she said. "Why don't you go hang out with that girl you mentioned to me a little while back? You know, the one with the dog?"

"Oh, uh, you mean Mo?" Atticus blushed a bit. "Erm... Oh, I don't know... What if she's busy?"

"I think you two could find a way to have fun." Jessica smirked playfully.

"Heh... Well... All right..." Atticus smiled. "It's been a while since I last saw her anyway."

"Atta boy!" Jessica replied with a smile.

Atticus smiled back as he sipped his hot chocolate merrily until he'd go back to bed as it was late tonight. Jessica hugged him good night and did the dishes as Atticus went back to sleep with a lovey-dovey smile as he thought about Mo this time.

* * *

"Looks like we've got our arrangements made." said Lionel.

"Yeah," Cherry replied. "I hope he didn't mind the late call, but I was worried he'd be having a nightmare."

"Good thing he wasn't." replied Lionel.

"Going to Metropolis..." Cherry said. "Compared to Gotham, it's pretty cheerful and optimistic... Hold me..."

"WHAT did you say?!" Lionel asked a bit too eagerly.

"Uh... Get me a soda..." Cherry covered up bashfully.

"I can do both!" Lionel replied, conjuring a soda in one hand.

"Might as well get ready." Cherry said as she accepted the soda.

"On it like pneumonia." Lionel replied.

"Um... Right..." Cherry said as she drank her soda. "Mm... Cream..."

"Glad I could help." said Lionel as he teleported them away.


	6. Chapter 6

Atticus hummed to himself as he soon looked much better as he packed a picnic basket to visit Mo with.

"I gotta go to work." Clark told him.

"Okay," Atticus smiled. "I'm going out today myself. Good thing there's a little school vacation."

"Behave yourself now," Clark chuckled. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Okay, I'll try to style a curl in my hair." Atticus smirked.

Clark smiled as he left for work shortly after. Atticus smiled back as he soon took the basket and went to go and visit Mo like Jessica had suggested.

* * *

Mo was in Metropolis, hanging out with Angel at a nearby field. Atticus rode his bike over quickly. Mo stared up at the sky as she watched the clouds with her dog, lying on the ground with her. Angel soon sat up and started barking.

"You okay, girl?" Mo asked her pet dog.

"Someone's coming." Angel replied.

Just then, Atticus screeched his bike to a halt a few feet away. "Hi, Mo!" Atticus waved. "Hi, Angel!"

"Atticus." Angel and Mo smiled to him.

"Mo, have you eaten yet?" Atticus asked.

"No, we were just getting hungry actually." Mo replied.

"Then here we go!" Atticus smiled as he took out the picnic basket. "A picnic lunch for two lovely ladies."

"Well, such a gentleman," Mo faux-chuckled. "That picnic won't eat itself!"

Atticus laughed a bit from that. They soon sat down together with a blanket and had their picnic together, even with Angel.

"You okay?" Mo asked. "You look a little tired."

"I had a bit of a rough night last night." Atticus said softly.

"How rough we talkin'?" Mo asked. "Nightmare?"

"Yeah..." Atticus sighed. "I saw my parents, but someone took them from me... It's like no matter how far I ran to them, they kept getting away from me."

"That sucks, man," said Mo. "But I know you'll find them someday."

"I hope so..." Atticus replied. "I can't imagine what it must be like for them to be around without knowing me... Or why I was abandoned by them..."

"At least you have a chance to see your parents." Mo said softly as she looked away.

Atticus looked to her and looked just as soft. "Oh... Oh, Mo, I'm so sorry!" he then said.

"It's okay, I understand how you're feeling about finding them," Mo smiled sadly. "I like that you get to meet them and find them."

"Well... Once I find them, maybe I could introduce you!" Atticus suggested.

Mo smiled bashfully. "I'd love that... I'm sure they're as charming and delightful as you are." she then said.

"Yeah..." Atticus smiled back with a blush.

The two looked into each other's eyes as Shining Star by the Manhattans played in the background. Time seemed to stand still as they drew closer and closer to each other.

"Afternoon." Lionel remarked as he and Cherry appeared via teleportation.

Atticus and Mo gasped from that and turned away scaredly.

"Boy, are you glad to see us!" Cherry announced.

"We are...?" Atticus asked weakly.

"Well, not yet, but you _will _be!" Lionel added.

"Uh... Good to see you guys..." Atticus said sheepishly.

"Likewise, buddy," replied Lionel. "We figured we'd drop in cuz we happen to be looking for... Are you sure we should be discussing our mission in front of a civilian?"

"It's okay... I'll go..." Mo said softly.

"Oh, Mo, I..." Atticus frowned.

"No... This is important to you," Mo said as she stood up. "Come on, Angel."

"Aww... But I want a chicken leg!" Angel whined as she reached into the basket.

Lionel thought. "Unless, say... She had powers of any kind." he replied, deciding to give Mo a chance to prove herself.

"Oh... I don't know about that..." Mo said as she carried Angel off with her.

"So, what's the trouble?" Atticus asked.

"We have to stop Poison Ivy." Cherry said which got Mo to stop in her tracks.

"...Poison Ivy...?" Mo asked softly with her back turned. "Did you say... Poison Ivy...?"

"Yeah, evil plant lady!" Lionel nodded. "You know about her?"

"She gives plant lovers like me a bad name," Mo glared. "I'm helping you guys."

"Uh... Okay... But I don't know how..." Cherry replied. "Do you do anything useful than eating vegetables?"

Mo then grabbed Cherry by her collar, forcing their eyes to meet as she pulled onto the perky goth. "Do not poke a vegetarian bear, Cherry," she said sharply. "I might not be dark and gloomy like you, but I can kick ass if I need to. You want a demonstration?"

"Uh, no, no, that's okay." Cherry said nervously.

"Jeez, way to rile up a potential ally," replied Lionel as he turned to Mo. "So, you also have plant-related powers?"

"Well... I do have something..." Mo said before letting go of Cherry as she backed up.

Cherry and Atticus shared a glance as they looked back to Mo curiously. Mo soon seemed to have wide eyes that turned pure white before she spread out her arms which made random vines shoot out dramatically that came from her abilities before they came to her like she was their master.

Lionel scribbled something down on a notepad. "Impressive... Very impressive." he replied.

"So... You talk with plants too?" Cherry asked.

"I guess you could say that," Mo replied. "They just come whenever I need them. I believe that could be The Forces of Nature working on my side."

"Saaaaay, that's mighty neat!" Lionel exclaimed. "You could be another member of our team! You'd just need a cool name and your own costume!"

"A team?" Mo asked. "With you guys?"

"Uh, sure," Atticus smiled bashfully. "If you'd like."

"Hmm..." Mo smiled back thoughtfully. "That sounds pretty cool."

"Alrighty then!" Lionel beamed. "Welcome aboard!"

"Thanks," Mo replied. "I'm sure it'll be an experience."

"Oh, it will," Atticus smiled. "Especially with you around."

"Sorry, was we interrupting a romantical-type situation between youse two?" asked Lionel.

Atticus and Mo blushed.

"We're sorta having a picnic date..." Atticus explained. "We'll help you out with Poison Ivy, but do you mind?"

"Not really..." Cherry said, going to the picnic basket.

"Cher-ry..." Atticus whined. "That's not very congenial."

"Oh, you with your college words." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"Methinks we better go," shrugged Lionel. "Leave the lovebirds to their little date. First Batman and Catwoman, now Superboy and Chlorophyll Commando. What next?"

"I'm _not_ going with _that_ name..." Mo shook her head about Chlorophyll Commando.

"It's a placeholder name," replied Lionel. "Until you come up with something better."

"Fair enough," Mo said. "Thanks though for letting me join in."

"Sure," Atticus smiled. "So, uh, where's Bruce?"

"My Superdad's gonna beat up your Superdad." Cherry smirked playfully.

"We'll see who beats up who," replied Lionel. "Also, that Kevin Whitney kid you live near may or may not be involved."

"Oh, yeah... Kevin..." Atticus remarked. "He seems cool. I usually tutor him after school, he's like a little brother to me."

"Probably in more ways than one," Cherry smirked. "I just know that Bruce decided to go visit the Daily Planet after we came over here."

"Guess he's got business with Clark." replied Lionel.

"Sounds like it." Cherry said.

"You guys wanna come over?" Atticus offered. "I'll be home alone anyway."

"Okay." The others shrugged from that.

* * *

They soon came to Clark Kent's home which he, of course, shared with Atticus as they passed by the board which they kept to help them find out the secret to where Atticus's birth parents were hiding.

"I hate that board," Lionel groused. "The clues barely make any sense, and we haven't even found the stupid last one!"

"I know..." Atticus sighed.

"Well, at least that big, ugly guy isn't here," Cherry shrugged. "I don't know why, but he always looks like he wants to hurt me."

"Aw, Cherry, you're imagining things," Atticus replied. "Besides, we'll solve this family mystery soon enough."

"I hope you're right," said Lionel. "And from what that prophecy theme song showed, King Dickhorn is gonna be gathering an alliance of our greatest enemies, so we'd best be ready for that."

"Hopefully we'll all be set just by then," Atticus said before taking out his cell phone." Thor? Atticus. Cherry and Lionel are here if you wanna-"

Thor grinned as he suddenly appeared with a puff of smoke which made everyone cough as he held his phone to his ear.

"Come over!" Atticus finished with a cough.

"Time to hang out with some friends!" Thor smiled. "I can see it now..."

"Oh, boy..." Cherry mumbled as the screen rippled.

A guitar riff played as we see the big city with the group of friends all together with a pretty nice song playing in the background with them all appearing at once with their names shown like in a 90's sitcom opening.

Lionel looked down at the caption that read "AND GABE KHOUTH AS LIONEL SCHWARTZ". "Who's Gabe Khouth?" he asked.

"I have no idea..." Cherry replied.

"Weird... He must be weird..." Thor said. "Maybe he's Canadian."

"Hmm... Seems like a nice guy, though." said Lionel.

Thor soon came up right behind the group and pulled them into a forced group hug. "Let's hang, ladies." he then grinned to them.

"We might not have time to 'hang out'," Cherry replied. "We have work to do in Metropolis."

"Indeed!" replied Lionel. "We're looking for someone who might be a spy for that sinister siren of seeds, that rose-with-every-thorn, Poison Ivy!"

"Hmm..." Thor paused in thought. "I could help you guys out."

"Of course you can!" Atticus replied. "That's why I invited you over."

"Yeah, we're gonna need the whole gang for this case." Lionel agreed.

"Me too?" Thor asked.

"Yes, you too!" Lionel smiled.

Thor grinned from that as he jumped onto the couch with the others. Cherry yelped before muffling from that.

"Hey... Where'd Cherry go?" Thor asked, looking around.

"Get off of me!" Cherry muffled.

"Whoops... Sorry, Cherry..." Thor said before moving. "I didn't see you there."

"Story of my life." Cherry grumbled.

"Next time, look where you sit." Lionel snapped, dusting Cherry off.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Thor replied.

Cherry let out a small breath.

"So... We'll probably need 'super help' against Poison Ivy." Thor said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and maybe Kevin's dog could help." suggested Atticus.

"A dog?" Cherry asked.

"You'd be surprised." Atticus winked to her with a smirk.

"He has superpowers, doesn't he?" asked Lionel flatly.

"Heh..." Atticus replied. "It's a long story. I'll tell you about it sometime."

"So, Mo, you have powers?" Thor asked.

"I do," Mo nodded. "I'll show you later on."

"Great," Thor replied. "And we know all about my powers with thunder and lightning."

"And my reality-warping powers!" Lionel added. "Also Cherry's latent magic and butt-kicking powers!"

Cherry shrugged bashfully, but it was true.

"Great!" Atticus smiled. "Now we just need a little training and we can probably tackle down this case together."

"All we need is a montage," replied Lionel. "Should be quick."

"Wanna go to my uncle's gym?" Thor offered.

"Will he be there?" Cherry grimaced slightly.

"I think he has a crap ton of paperwork to do right now," Thor replied. "He had his face that usually means 'I'm in no mood for anything today, so leave me alone when I get back home'."

"Then we could go," Cherry replied. "But just for maybe an hour."

"Ooh... Okay, but I should say that eight hours in The Magic Realm is also an hour in the Mortal Realm, so we'll have to plan accordingly." Thor said, logically for a change.

"Then I guess we'll have gotten way more done in there." Lionel replied.

Thor crossed his arms with a nod of his head as they soon poofed away from where they were now.

* * *

They soon entered into The Other Realm known as The Supernatural Realm. They came to a tropical area that had Calypso music playing with a sunset behind them with a limbo stick in front of a red curtain.

"Is this the Gym?" Atticus asked.

"No, this is Limbo," Thor replied as he led the way, bending under the stick in the way. "Follow me. When in limbo, you have to limbo."

The others shrugged to each other and soon followed them as they went in through the curtain. The place they were in had a lot of fog on the ground and there was a treadmill, a barbell set, punching bags, weights to be lifted, and there was a giant apple tree with apples bigger than their heads even!

_"This is_ the Gym." Thor smiled.

Some montage music soon began to play as they all went to keep up their strength. Cherry grunted as she seemed to have a hard time keeping up with the others.

"Come on, Cherry; I know you can do better than that!" Atticus told his best friend.

"Yeah, I believe in you and so do the rest of us!" Lionel added.

"Hmm... Maybe she needs a little motivation." Thor suggested.

Cherry grunted as she tried to lift up a barbell, though she seemed to struggle in doing so.

"Well, from what I can see, she definitely needs something to help her lift that thing." Lionel replied.

"I can't do it... I'm too weak..." Cherry grunted.

"Yes, you can, Cherry!" Atticus replied. "You just have to believe you can do it! Think about those jerks in school!"

"You have to bring that up?!" Cherry glared slightly.

"Cherry, just think of those bullies you'd like to beat up if you could and use that energy to fuel that strength." Atticus advised.

"Yeah... Imagine how good it'll feel getting even with those creeps!" Lionel added. "Think about all the times they humiliated you, threatened you, or just plain harassed you!"

Cherry looked all around as she looked deep in thought as she saw the bullies laughing at her several misfortunes.

"You're seeing it, aren't you?" Lionel asked. "Good, now let your rage surface..."

Cherry squeezed her eyes shut as she began to visualize.

"Come on... Come on..." Thor smiled encouragingly. "I know you can do it... Come on... Thatta girl!"

Cherry grunted as she squeezed the metal bar and it moved slightly as she growled quietly to herself. The others stood by and kept cheering her on. Finally, Cherry's eyes shot open, glowing with a ferocity that seemed alien to her. With a roar of anger, she began lifting the barbell into the air effortlessly, up and down, and so on.

"Go, Cherry." Atticus smiled proudly.

"I'm not gonna take your shit anymore!" Cherry growled to herself.

"That's my girl!" Lionel cheered.

Everyone else smiled to each other as they went to continued to do some work-outs for going up against Poison Ivy as she was around in Metropolis somewhere.

* * *

At the Daily Planet, Lois was working on an article. "'Man of Steel saves Bloodmobile'... I like it." she smiled. "Hey, is 'Man of Steel' hyphenated? I can never remember."

"No." said Clark, busy with his typing.

"How about 'Bloodmobile'?" asked Lois.

"Lois, I have a deadline." said Clark.

"Just super-type it like you do when you think I'm not watching." Lois retorted.

Clark glanced at her for that before asking, "How come you're still hanging around? Don't you have an interview?"

"He's coming here," Lois smiled wistfully. "Quite the get."

"Who?" Clark pondered.

"That would be me." Bruce's voice said right behind him.

Clark turned around and saw Bruce walking over, clad in a turtleneck sweater and black jacket.

Lois slid out her chair. "Bruce!" she said as she got to her feet. "You're early."

Bruce shook hands with Lois as Clark got up.

"Bruce Wayne, this is Clark Kent." said Lois.

The two men quietly shook hands.

"I believe we've met." said Clark.

"Yes, I've admired your work, Clark," replied Bruce. "...On occasion."

"Excuse me, got to check if the conference room is ready." Lois said as she walked off briefly.

"Something tells me a man like you is here for more than an interview." Clark said to Bruce.

"I do like to multi-task." Bruce smirked.

"Any business you can tell me about?"

"Not at the moment. Wouldn't want any third parties getting involved."

Lois then came right back over to the two men. "Ready. Shall we?" she then asked Bruce.

"I thought about buying a newspaper once," Bruce remarked before he would leave with Lois. "Wouldn't it be something if I owned the Planet? And you and Clark could work for me."

"Just don't forget my big raise, Mr. Moneybags." Lois teased as they walked off together.

"Lois." Bruce chuckled from that.

Clark narrowed his eyes as they walked off together until he took out his cell to see a text from Atticus.

**_"I got friends over from out of town; hope that's okay."_ **The text read.

Clark typed back: **_"Sure, just be careful and don't make a mess."_**

* * *

Atticus smiled before looking to the others. "Alright, you guys are good." he then told his friends.

The group beamed at that... Even Cherry.

"Great," Atticus smiled. "Thanks for the WiFi password, Thor. The reception's great out here."

"Tell me about it," Thor smiled back. "It's great when Phoebe and I come here to get babysat by Uncle Drell."

"You still get babysat?" Cherry asked him flatly.

"It's hard to find friends in this Realm," Thor looked away with a small pout. "Plus Uncle Drell can protect us to his huge status of being Head of the Witch's Council. We have to be careful or someone could kidnap us for a ransom and to gain government position."

"Wow... Way to make my comment into a dark, horrible secret." Cherry replied.

"'Cuz life isn't a joke, Missy." Thor remarked defensively.

"Maybe, but it's also too short to spend being all grim and gritty," added Lionel. "So you gotta make time for fun when you can!"

"Just sit down and have fun, dammit!" Thor told Cherry.

"Okay! Okay! Sheesh!" Cherry replied. "...I think you might be tripolar."

"Thor, calm down!" Lionel ordered. "That isn't helping!"

"I'm sorry, buddy..." Thor said bashfully as he turned away.

Atticus patted him on the back softly.

"Heh... Guess I got a little carried away..." Thor said sheepishly. "Besides... I get bullied too, even now. People call me a human giant or a total retard."

"That's awful, dude," replied Lionel. "But you're among friends now. Just lay off her a little, huh? She already has enough pressure on her plate."

"Heheh... Sorry..." Thor replied. "I guess that was my uncle talking."

* * *

They soon went back to some work-outs until lightning flashed with thunder rumbling as Drell soon came by.

"Man, if I hear some kid crying one more time 'I didn't mean to', I'm gonna-" Drell growled until he looked to see some company in his private gym. "Thornton Fraser Moltenscar?!"

"Present." Thor smiled sheepishly.

"Your middle name is Fraser?" asked Lionel. "Like that actor guy, Brendan Fraser?"

"Mm... I'm not sure actually..." Thor shrugged. "Erm... Hello, Uncle Drell."

"Why are your friends in my gym?" Drell asked, pinching his nephew's ear sharply.

"Ow! Um... Uh... Poison Ivy is in Metropolis, so there's no doubt that we'll have to be properly trained as superheroes to be strong against her and anyone else she might have with her..." Thor said while trembling from the sharp pain of his uncle's pinch. "We're so sorry we came in without permission, but I think we all need this... Please, Uncle Drell..." he said with his hands together in a begging position.

"Hmm..." Drell paused rather firmly.

The group looked on, curious.

"Well... I guess you could stay for a little bit..." Drell then said as he dropped Thor. "Just stay out of my way."

"Yes, sir." The group replied.

Cherry was soon punching a punching bad as she looked like she had murder in her eyes.

"She's got fire in her eyes." said Mo.

"That's a rage she can't disguise." added Atticus.

"No kidding," replied Lionel. "...Isn't it awesome?"

"All right..." Drell said, picking up Cherry and walked over to move her onto a mat in the corner. "You play over here now."

"You can't just move like that!" Cherry glared.

"Oh, I think I can," Drell smirked. "This is for the big muscles of the group."

"You think I'm just some WEAKLING?!" Cherry snapped.

"I don't think, Noodle Arms," Drell walked off with a smirk. "I know."

"YOU ARE DEAD!" Cherry growled as she went to tackle him down.

"YAH!" Drell yelled out, shooting magic at her to trap her in an energy bubble. "I don't think so, Miss Hyde. You may be with Batman, but you can't scare me."

"Just watch me," Cherry snarled as she somehow tore through the energy bubble. "You think you're _so _great just because you have your special magic powers! You think that gives you the right to treat everyone else like dirt?!"

"How did you...?" Drell's eyes widened slightly.

"You're supposed to help us... But you treat us like butt monkeys!" Cherry glared. "I should make you pay! All you are... Is a big bully!" she snarled as her eyes flashed red. "And **I... HATE... BULLIES!**"

"What the hell?!" Drell complained.

"YAUGH!" Cherry yelled out as she soon tackled him to the floor.

Thor grabbed onto Cherry and tried to pull her off of his uncle.

"Dude, I don't think it would be smart to get in her way when she's this pissed!" Lionel told him.

"He's gonna ground me for 300 years if I don't stop her!" Thor replied.

"As opposed to not living to _see _those years?" replied Lionel.

Cherry panted heavily as she sat on Drell's stomach.

"If you didn't just beat the shit out of me, I'd be really impressed and proud of you for growing a spine." Drell told Cherry as he was bleeding right now and his glasses seemed to be broken.

"Well, not like you didn't deserve it," Cherry replied, spitting a tooth out. "All your power and you choose to use it to act like a jerk and throw your weight around. It's a wonder your nephew even bothered trying to stop me from hurting you."

"Hm..." Drell hummed firmly from that.

"...You good now?" Lionel asked Cherry, warily.

"I guess so..." Cherry replied, shaking her fists a bit.

Drell soon used his magic to fix his glasses.

"Uncle, I am _so _sorry, but Cherry's been pushed too far about being tormented in school, and home, and... And... It just seems like she gets stuck with all the bad luck." Thor frowned.

"Yes... Because of Sombra... Her parents are too busy with their own problems to pay attention to her and she's basically a punching bag in the school hallways, but that's mostly because of Sombra..." Drell replied patiently. "I know."

"Wait, what?" Atticus asked.

"Oh, Sombra put a curse on Cherry sometime after you two met to make her pay for befriending you," Drell replied as he waited until he could wear his glasses again. "Sometimes people have sucky lives, sometimes people have good lives, but King Sombra's basically a rain cloud to make Cherry suffer worse than anyone else."

"Jeez!" Lionel exclaimed. "If that jerk has nothing better to do than torment one girl, I can hardly imagine how pathetic _his_ life must be!"

"Tell me about it," Drell said before putting his glasses on. "Don't think though because we're all here together that I'm gonna spill fully about Atticus's Family Secret."

"I guess that's fair enough," Atticus sighed. "Can you at least tell me if they're still alive?"

"Of course they are..." Drell smirked. "I just can't blab where until you find it out for yourself. Sorry, not MY rules."

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Lionel sighed. "For all the hype about how big and bad this Sombra douche is, he seems so lame that even Killer Moth or the Penny Plunderer seem like bigger threats in comparison! I mean, he's all like, _'Oh, I have nothing better to do with my life, so I'll curse this random girl who befriended my heir, because God forbid she wasn't miserable enough! And hey, why don't I take away my heir's parents so that he has no choice but to join me! Yeah, that's a GREAT plan!'_ I can't wait to beat his ugly mug into pulp!"

"Good... Good... Let the hate flow through you..." Thor smirked darkly.

"I MEAN, WHO DOES THIS STUPID PUNK-ASS THINK HE IS?!" Lionel continued. "BAD ENOUGH CHERRY HAS TO BE PUT THROUGH THE WRINGER ON THE DAILY! BUT THIS IS WHERE I DRAW THE LINE! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT SCUMBAG SOMBRA, ATTICUS CAN HAVE THE FINAL PUNCH, BUT I AM GONNA TAKE MY TIME MAKING HIM SUFFER! HE'S GOT NO IDEA WHAT SORT OF AGONY I AM TRULY CAPABLE OF UNLEASHING!"

"Oh, Lionel..." Cherry said softly.

"BECAUSE I MADE A VOW; THAT I WOULD HELP THIS YOUNG WOMAN KNOW THE FEELING OF JOY OR HAPPINESS, AND NOTHING WILL KEEP ME FROM FULFILLING IT!" Lionel finished.

Cherry hugged her knees a bit from that.

"I gotta admire your dedication to her," Drell smirked. "Just like when I first dated Hilda Spellman."

"Must have been some nice times." replied Lionel as he cleared his throat.

"Yes... Very much..." Drell replied, taking his barbell from Atticus. "Mine~"

Atticus yelped as he nearly stumbled from that. Drell smirked as he soon did his own lifts to cool down from his stressful job. The others decided to take a break after that.


	7. Chapter 7

"9,996... 9,997... 9,998... 9,999!" Drell grunted a bit as he got to his final set before groaning as he threw his barbell down on the floor, unable to reach 10,000. "That's all I can do." he then shrugged to himself.

"Ah, well," Lionel shrugged. "Everyone's got their limits."

"Mm-hmm..." Drell replied. "How do you guys feel?"

"A little tired," Cherry sighed. "Sorry for beating you up like that... I guess I was holding back some rage from school."

"I'm sure Batman would be proud." Drell smirked.

"Maybe." replied Lionel.

"I do hope that I find my parents... But I'm gonna try to not whine about it all the time just to get sympathy out of you guys." Atticus said.

"It's alright, Atticus," Mo replied. "It'll be okay."

Atticus smiled to all of his friends who were there to help him out.

"Yeah, and we're gonna find them," said Lionel. "Dunno why, but I feel like we're getting closer than we ever have."

"I sure hope so," Atticus replied. "Uh... Anyone else hungry?"

"Slim here's always hungry." Drell said, gesturing to his nephew.

Thor smiled bashfully.

"I could eat." Cherry shrugged.

"Likewise." Lionel added.

Drell looked to them and shrugged as he let them go get something to eat.

* * *

They came into Thor's part of town as one woman in the backyard was shown with a shovel as she seemed to be burying another woman who seemed to be dead.

"Oh, my GOD!" Atticus gasped from what he just saw.

The woman looked over innocently like it was no big deal.

"Did you have to kill your sister TODAY, Zelda?" Drell asked. "We had a date night!"

"Sorry, but she borrowed my sweater without asking." The woman replied.

"Well, _this _is just PEACHY!" Drell groused. "NOW what am I gonna do?!"

"Wait about 12 hours?" Zelda shrugged bashfully.

"I just... I... I... Ooh..." Atticus said as his face paled before he seemed to faint and blacked out.

"Atticus... Atticus!" The others called with their voices echoing a bit.

* * *

"Ugh..." Atticus groaned as he soon opened his eyes and seemed to wake up on a couch. "W-Where am I? What happened?"

"You passed out after you saw one woman burying another in a backyard." Cherry stated bluntly.

"I can see why," replied Lionel. "That's pretty fucked up."

"I'll order a pizza for you kids." Zelda smiled as she walked by.

"Thank you, ma'am..." Atticus replied wearily.

Drell was shown to be looking very frustrated as he sat in a corner. "I buy handcuffs with a collar and a whip... Stupid sisterly rivalry... Argh..." he grumbled to himself in the background.

"I'm both curious AND creeped out..." Lionel remarked at that. "Guess someone had interesting plans for their date night..."

"How could you murder your own sister?" Atticus asked Zelda. "Do you think that's cool? Killing your sister for fun?"

"Actually, yes." Zelda replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, relax," said Salem. "Just give her 24 hours, and she'll be back to normal. You think this is the first time this has happened?"

"This happens often?" Atticus replied.

"Yes..." Drell said in annoyance as Zelda marked a tally under her name on a chalkboard with a scoreboard between her and Hilda.

Sabrina stared downstairs as she sat at the top.

"Sabrina, you have some friends over," Zelda told her niece. "Why don't you come down so you can have some pizza with them?"

"Yeah..." Drell smirked to her. "Spend some time with friends and your Uncle Drell!"

A mild sigh was heard, and then footsteps. Sabrina came down the stairs soon afterwards.

"Hey." Atticus said.

"Hi." Sabrina said lowly.

"Hey." Thor said.

"Hi." Sabrina repeated.

"Well... This is a great conversation..." Drell said. "I've had livelier conversations with Merlin the Wizard."

"'Sup?" Lionel asked.

"How was school?" Mo asked.

"Prudence Blackwood tried to embarrass me in front of Harvey." Sabrina said.

"Any luck avoiding that?" Cherry asked her.

"He just ran away from me," Sabrina sighed with a shrug. "I don't think he likes me very much. I'll never fit in around here."

"I think we've _all_ been there," said Lionel. "...Although mine is more of a not fitting in within my home dimension since I've never been to school."

"Yeesh! This 5th Dimension place sounds sadder and sadder by the minute." Cherry commented.

"Yeah, it sucked big time," Lionel shrugged. "So I'm glad I got the boot."

"I wish I could get out of here..." Sabrina said softly to them. "Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda say they love me very much, but... Lately, it feels like... I'm invisible to them."

"I'm sure that's not the case." Atticus coaxed.

"Well, you don't live here," replied Salem. "How would YOU know?"

"I... I guess I wouldn't..." Atticus said sheepishly.

Salem nodded firmly to that.

"Sorry..." Atticus said. "I'm sure it'll get better though."

"Riiiight," said Salem sarcastically. "Good gravy, are you naïve or what?"

"Okay, what's wrong?" Atticus asked.

"I don't really like my life," Sabrina replied. "Especially since I'm told I have to pick between having a mortal life or a witch life by my next birthday... No one in school really notices me and the ones who do want me killed... My aunts pretty much attack each other all the time whenever I'm not around... I feel like... Ever since my parents died, my life's turned upside-down."

"Oh, Sabrina," Atticus said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Likewise," nodded Lionel. "At least you got us to watch your back."

Cherry glanced over quietly.

"I appreciate that." Sabrina said softly, though she couldn't find the will to smile.

"And we're glad you do." replied Atticus.

* * *

Eventually, they shared some pizza.

"So, what's the plan?" Thor asked.

"We hang out and train until we're needed," Atticus replied. "Provided that Batman and Superman don't try to kill each other."

"No promises," replied Lionel. "Especially since Ivy is involved."

"Right," Atticus nodded. "Might as well get as much food as we can get."

Sabrina bit her lip before she shallowly spoke to them. "Let me come with you."

"Uh, let you come with us?" Cherry replied.

"I wanna get out of this house," Sabrina said. "I feel like you guys are the only friends I have in this world. So let me come too."

"Uh... I dunno, Sabrina," Cherry shrugged. "This is more of superhero stuff and you're a witch."

"Aw, please?" asked Lionel. "Maybe she could use her magic to help us out?"

The others looked over to Drell as he dully ate his own slice of pizza before seeing their stares. "What?"

"Well?" Atticus asked. "Could she use magic to help us out?"

"Witches shouldn't use magic to meddle in mortals' lives or terrible things could happen." Drell stated.

"We're not mortals!" The others replied.

"Oh, but I think one of you is." Drell said with a look to Mo.

"So? What's the big deal?" Mo asked.

"What did I just say?" Drell replied.

"It doesn't sound like a big-" Cherry said.

"Terrible..." Drell said normally at first until his voice started to echo in a frightening way. "_Terrible_... **TERRIBLE!**"

"How terrible we talking?" asked Lionel.

"Sabrina, you better not or else I'll give Salem a little blonde kitty friend!" Drell bribed as he took out a pink collar with a heart-shaped name tag on it.

Mo narrowed her eyes and soon, vines shot inside which tied up Drell and held him in the air.

"What the-?!" Drell asked.

"Does _this _still make you think I'm a mortal!" Mo glared as her eyes turned pure white again.

"Mo, you're a member of the Foggy Swamp Tribe?" Drell asked.

"Uh... I don't know what that means..." Mo said.

"Let me down and I'll tell ya." Drell replied.

Mo just narrowed her eyes. "Only if Sabrina can help us against Poison Ivy."

"Fine..." Drell rolled his eyes. "I guess this proves you're not a powerless mortal."

"Jeez, this guy is arrogant." Mo groused.

"Hello?!" Drell called. "You wanna let me down?"

Mo then let the vines loosen up to let him go which made him drop to the floor which made the house shake slightly.

Drell then stood up and adjusted his glasses. "Now, uh, the Foggy Swamp Tribe is one of the three Water Tribes from ancient times," he then explained. "The tribesmen are descendants of individuals who migrated from the South Pole to the Foggy Swamp in the Earth Kingdom, where they established a separate faction that eventually developed a distinct culture and bending style separate from those of the two polar tribes."

"Well, I don't know much about my family actually," Mo shrugged. "So whatever you just said, I'm forced to assume is true."

"So I guess you're not a pure mortal," Drell said. "All right, fine. Sabrina, you can use your magic to help your friends and make yourself useful."

"Beats sticking around here, that's for sure." Sabrina replied as she got her backpack and rejoined the others.

"Tell me about it," Drell sulked. "I was gonna have a lot of fun with your Aunt Hilda...** BUT I GUESS I CAN'T DO THAT, NOW CAN'T I, ZELDA?!**"

"We didn't know you'd be coming tonight!" Zelda defended, off-screen.

"**I LIKE TO SURPRISE HER!**" Drell replied before grumbling to himself. "Thor, make your uncle some comfort food when you get the chance, will ya?"

"Sure thing, Uncle Drell, after I help out my friends." Thor promised.

"Atta boy," Drell sighed. "At least **SOMETHING IS GOING RIGHT TODAY!**"

"Would it kill you to use an indoor voice?!" Zelda's voice replied from that.

"Drell has an indoor voice?" Cherry snarked to herself.

"It's called **EMPHASIZING!**" Drell retorted at Zelda. "**I'M _DOING_ IT ON PURPOSE!**"

The others looked to him and soon shuffled away as Sabrina grabbed Salem to have him come along.

* * *

They were soon in Sabrina's bedroom as Drell and Zelda argued.

"So, 'Brina, maybe you could become a superhero too." Cherry said.

"Me?" Sabrina replied dubiously. "A superhero?"

"Sure, why not?" replied Lionel. "You don't seem particularly happy being a witch, so maybe you could use your magic for good!"

"It isn't easy..." Sabrina sighed. "I guess I could try something out."

"Yeah, let's get you in a costume." Cherry advised.

Sabrina shrugged. "Where would I start?"

"From _this_!" Atticus proclaimed, taking out a very thick handbook. "The Marvelous Super Guide to Superhero Outfits of Many Different Superheroes from DC, Marvel, and more!"

"You keep that with you all the time?" Cherry asked.

"Never know when it might come up in conversation." Atticus replied shamelessly.

"...Fair point." replied Lionel.

Atticus soon threw the book down onto Sabrina's bed and cracked it open. The others surrounded him to take a look for themselves.

"Here's one, Sab," Atticus smiled. "Her name is Scarlet Witch."

"Oh, I've heard of her," replied Lionel. "Brother of Quicksilver, daughter of Magneto."

"Hmm... Maybe..." Sabrina replied.

"Magix?" Atticus offered.

"White Witch?" Salem asked. "I've never heard of that one."

"Oh, she's from the future," Cherry realized. "From that group The Legion of Superheroes."

"Another maybe." Sabrina shrugged.

"What else we got?" asked Lionel.

"The Witches?" Atticus shrugged. "They're a superhero team who formed when a young witch named Jennifer Kale accidentally used her magic to unleash a disastrous event, mystics Satana and Topaz came to her aide, making a makeshift superhero team to deal with the issue."

"Satana?" The others asked.

"Satana Hellstrom, she's the daughter of... *gulp* ...The Devil himself." Atticus replied.

"Kinda reminds me of my teacher..." Sabrina remarked. "Madame Satan..."

"Hmm... Well, there's someone here from The Justice Friends like Major Glory, Valhallen, and The Imbraggable Krunk called Miss Spell." Atticus suggested.

"Huh, neat." Sabrina replied.

"I'm gonna run out of ideas..." Atticus replied.

"Well, sorry," Sabrina shrugged. "I'm not as into superheroes as you guys."

"It's a great honor though," Mo said. "Cherry, Atticus, and Lionel are lucky."

"Well, why don't you just come up with your own costume?" suggested Lionel.

"I guess I could do that..." Sabrina said. "What colors though?"

"Well, what colors do you like?" Mo asked.

Sabrina shrugged. "Pink and white?"

"Too 1999." Cherry replied.

Sabrina pondered again. "What about burgundy?" she suggested.

"Burgundy... Yeah..." Mo replied. "That might suit you."

"Alright then, going with that." Sabrina replied as she wrote it down.

"You'll also need a new name," Atticus said. "Something mysterious and magical... Like Mystica..."

"I like that name too." Sabrina smiled as that seemed to suit her.

"Alright! Got a color, and a name!" Lionel remarked. "Just gotta make the suit now!"

"This isn't so bad." Sabrina soon seemed to smile as she finally felt like she had actual friends.

"Life's just crazy sometimes," Cherry told her. "...Especially with your aunts who kill each other all the time."

"Hm." Sabrina firmly pouted from that.

"Sorry." Cherry said sheepishly before checking her phone.

**_"Gone to LexCorp -Bruce"._ **The text read.

"Dealing with Cueball _again_?" Lionel sighed, rolling his eyes. "Figures..."

"Hmph..." Atticus glared sharply. "Maybe a little someone should go with him for security."

"Superman's son with The Dark Knight? I dunno about that, Superboy." Cherry remarked.

"Who said it would be _him_?" asked Lionel.

"Oh... Uh... I just assumed that-" Cherry began.

"When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me!" Thor quoted.

"Thank you." Cherry sweat-dropped.

"No problem!" Thor smiled, proud of himself.

"I think we best prepare for that." replied Lionel.

"Right!" The others agreed from that.

* * *

So they got to work; in a matter of minutes, Sabrina's costume was finished, the preparations had been made, and the team was ready to roll.

"So, does it look good?" Sabrina asked.

"It'll do," Cherry replied. "So, Brina, is Mystica ready to go?"

"I think so," Sabrina sighed. "I just hope nothing goes wrong."

"Well, we can't guarantee that, but your friends are by your side." Cherry told her.

Sabrina suddenly hugged Cherry thankfully.

"Uh... Um... Okay..." Cherry said, looking stiff in the hug. "All right... Okay... You're welcome? Uh..."

"Aw, that's sweet," Lionel smiled. "Now we gotta go stop some baddies! And I doubt Batman is still at LexCorp right now..."

"Either way, let's move out now," Atticus replied. "Hero Squad go!"

"Hero Squad?" The others asked.

"We'll think of a name later." Atticus said.

They all donned their superhero outfits and soon left the house, though Zelda either didn't notice or cared as she was watching TV right now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ivy was inside of her greenhouse when Catwoman returned.

"Well, look who's here," Ivy smirked. "Wondered when you'd find me."

"I've come back to you," replied Catwoman.

"Have you now?" Ivy remarked as she watered her plants.

"No one can resist you," Catwoman stated calmly as she stood straight while Poison Ivy reached over to her via vine transportation. "And why would they want to?" she then added.

"That's so true, Kitty," Poison Ivy smirked before using a vine to hit her. "But no one fakes it with me."

Catwoman groaned in pain as she landed on the floor before grasping the floor with her claws with a vengeful glare. "Okay, crazy plant bitch, it's on." she then scowled.

The two women then broke into a furious fight with each other.

"Looks like we showed up a little early," snickered a voice. "Pretty sure there's supposed to be mud and torn clothes involved when ladies grapple like this."

"Very funny." Another voice deadpanned to the first voice.

Catwoman grunted as she was being strangled and held up by the vines.

"Nose filters?" Poison Ivy smirked to the other woman before snapping her fingers. "What am I going to do with you, Kitty? Oh, I know."

Suddenly, Catwoman was hoisted into the air, and the vines continued to strangle her. Suddenly, two Batarangs ripped through the vines like blades.

Catwoman dropped to the ground, and pried the vines off her neck. "Cut it close, why don't you?" she wheezed.

"Sorry," Bat-Mite chuckled. "Needed to wait for the right time and whatnot."

"And now, for the main event." Lady Gothika told Poison Ivy.

"You're going back to Arkham, Ivy." Batman sharply told the villainess.

"Oh! Is Batman your new boy toy?" Poison Ivy smirked to Catwoman.

"This coming from the lady who uses mind control on people?" Mo retorted. "Hi, pot, meet the kettle!"

"Oh, what's this?" Poison Ivy asked.

"Back-up." Lady Gothika replied as she came over with the others, including Mo and Sabrina with their own superhero outfits.

"Also, have we worked out a superhero name for... The plant-bender of our team?" Bat-Mite asked.

"I'm so far calling myself Nature Girl," Mo replied. "I know it's not the most clever name out there, but it's the best I got."

"I guess it works for now," Bat-Mite shrugged. "Until we come up with something better."

"Right." Mo replied from that.

A wall soon broke down.

"I guess we got company, gang." Thunder Boy warned the others.

"What...?" Saiya Man gasped once he saw who had come over.

"Well, you all tell Catwoman that I've got a boy toy too." Poison Ivy smirked as she came beside Superman.

"Stay away from her." Superman demanded sharply.

"...Of freaking course..." Bat-Mite groused.

"You heard my Superman," Poison Ivy smirked before whispering right into the Man of Steel's ear. "Lover... Kill them."

The others backed up slightly from the two before them.

"Tell me you have a plan." Catwoman begged to Batman.

"Yes," Batman replied. "Run."

"That might be the best thing we've got right now." Lady Gothika replied.

"Actually... I think I may be able to get us out of this!" Bat-Mite remarked with a grin.

"Be my guest." Lady Gothika allowed him.

"After all, Kryptonite isn't Superman's ONLY weakness... Just ONE of them!" Bat-Mite added as he snapped his fingers and made unbreakable chains around Superman, pinning him to the ground.

Saiya Man got out of the way before coming beside Superman briefly to apologize quietly as he went back to his friends again.

"You little twerp!" Poison Ivy glared.

Bat-Mite chuckled. "Yeah, I hate you too."

"Hopefully he doesn't remember this moment," Saiya Man told Bat-Mite. "The last thing I ever wanna be is grounded."

"He'll understand," replied Bat-Mite. "Good thing I saw his battles with Mr. Mxyzptlk. That's pronounced 'mix-yes-pit-lick' for all you readers out there! It helped me remember that Superman's other weakness is magical powers!"

"Yeah... That's true..." Saiya Man replied.

"But at least we've got him!" Bat-Mite remarked. "We just need to administer an antidote!"

"You do that." Batman said.

"Don't worry, we got this." Lady Gothika said before yelping as a vine grabbed her.

"You must be Catwoman's little kitten." Poison Ivy smirked.

"Let go of her!" Nature Girl demanded.

"You heard her," said Bat-Mite, his eyes flashing red. "Either you set her down gently or else your plants are pulp."

Poison Ivy chuckled.

Nature Girl growled as she soon used her vines to go up against Poison Ivy's vines. "TAKE! THESE!" she then growled out.

The vines slashed at Ivy's, and Bat-Mite caught Lady Gothika and set her down gently.

"Phew..." Lady Gothika sighed.

"You okay?" Bat-Mite asked her.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," Lady Gothika replied. "I wasn't that worried."

"I was!" Bat-Mite replied.

"Come on, we should get out of here," Saiya Man suggested. "I'm really sorry about this, Superman."

Superman had calmed down by now, but he was a bit dizzy from the antidote. During that time, Ivy had decided to make a run for it.

"She's getting away!" Mystica exclaimed.

"Oh, I don't think so!" replied a voice.

* * *

Apparently Ivy had been blocked from escaping... By a white dog with a red cape and on his collar was a dog tag shaped like Superman's symbol.

"Stay where you are, or I might have to get 'ruff' with ya." The dog remarked.

"Krypto the Superdog!" Saiya Man beamed to himself.

"I might be a dog, but I can still take ya." Krypto growled to Poison Ivy.

"What a miserable little cur." Poison Ivy glared as she tried to send more vines over to constrict him with.

"Hang on, bud, I gotcha!" said another voice as an orange blur sliced the vines apart, revealing himself to be a cat with a lightning streak on his back.

"Nice move, Streaky." Krypto replied to his partner.

Behind them, a brown-haired young boy yawned. "Could we hurry up, guys?" he asked. "I have school tomorrow..."

"Kevin." Saiya Man said.

"Isn't that like your neighbor?" Lady Gothika whispered to him.

"Uh, yeah," Saiya Man replied. "Something like that."

"Where did you animals come from?!" Poison Ivy snarled.

"That's none of your concern, Plant Lady!" Streaky glared. "You're gonna have to deal with ALL of us if you're gonna control Superman for your own bidding!"

"Lucky for us, she won't be able to anymore!" Bat-Mite added.

"I'll be sure to tell the other Dog Stars about this," Krypto replied. "I just got back there with Streaky."

"And me," Kevin groaned tiredly. "Don't forget me."

"Sorry about that, kid," Streaky replied. "We'll make it up to ya after our superhero's work is done."

"...Cool." Bat-Mite smiled.

Poison Ivy glared at Streaky and Krypto.

"At least _she _doesn't have a pet we have to worry about." Streaky smirked to Krypto.

"Yeah, lucky us." Krypto agreed.

"I think we've got it covered," replied Bat-Mite. "Once we've got Poison Ivy under arrest, you all can return to your civilian lives for the night."

"Right!" The others agreed to that.

Shortly after the Super-Pets left, Bat-Mite quickly subdued Poison Ivy in power-drain chains to ensure she didn't try summoning any plant creatures to escape. "So... is what she used to get control of him," he remarked as he lifted up a tube of Kryptonite-laced lipstick, using a pair of tongs. "Diabolical..."

"Tell me about it..." Saiya Man glared. "Sometimes I wanna destroy Kryptonite or at least stop Superman from being effected by it."

"...Batman keeps a Kryptonite ring in storage, in case Superman should ever get mind-controlled or go evil," Bat-Mite whispered. "But he trusts him to know when to use it."

"Hmm... All right..." Saiya Man nodded from that. "Good to know."

"...None of this is my fault," explained Poison Ivy later. "I was forced to use Catwoman to steal Bane's ransom. Then he made me control Superman," she smirked on the next line. "Can't say he put up much of a fight."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Lady Gothika asked.

"Wait a sec..." Bat-Mite said, poofing away before coming back with a lie detector. "Okay, repeat what you just said to us."

"I was forced to use Catwoman to steal Bane's ransom. Then he made me control Superman." Poison Ivy repeated.

The lie detector seemed to ding.

"Dammit." Lady Gothika grumbled.

"Hey, you asked how we could be sure," replied Bat-Mite. "Now we got a way to prove it. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Hm." Poison Ivy smirked.

"I just hate it when villains are telling the truth when I'm mad," Lady Gothika told Bat-Mite. "It makes me feel like a jerk."

"Well, depends on what they're telling the truth about," replied Bat-Mite. "For one, she was honest about the fact she did all that stuff. So it's good because we know she was guilty of those actions."

"This friend of yours... What's his name?" Lady Gothika demanded.

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it... Kitten?" Poison Ivy smirked.

Lady Gothika slanted her eyes as Catwoman punched the back of the other woman's head before pulling onto her hair.

"Not the hair!" Poison Ivy shrieked as Catwoman protracted her claws onto her neck.

"They may go easy on you, but I won't," Catwoman glared to the other woman. "Name. Now."

"Hush." Poison Ivy stated.

"No, you speak!" Lady Gothika retorted darkly.

"No, that's his name!" Poison Ivy replied. "I never met him before, but he knew a lot about me... TOO much."

"That's enough," Superman soon said. "I'll take her."

Catwoman let go of Poison Ivy.

"I think your business here is done." Superman said as he carried Poison Ivy in his arms and soon flew off with her.

"Well... That went better than I expected." Bat-Mite remarked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Saiya Man replied.

Catwoman came before Batman to give him a sultry kiss. Batman didn't fight it this time and soon began to hold her into the kiss.

Someone hid away as he watched the greenhouse from afar towards Batman. "This just gets better and better." he said to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Some time had passed as everyone split apart for the night as we are suddenly shown a school. Lionel came to the school to see a crowd in front as it looked like someone was about to jump from the very tall height along with Atticus, Sabrina, Mo, and Thor in the crowd.

"Miss Butler, get down from there!" Mr. Kraft called out through a megaphone. "You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Butler... Then that means... HOLY SKYDIVE!" Lionel exclaimed. "I gotta act fast!" He reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny square with a ripcord attached to it, and ran to stop Cherry, or at the very least, cushion her fall.

Cherry seemed to be falling from atop of the school which made everyone worry and panic as the sky turned red with the dramatic scene. Lionel quickly pulled the ripcord and threw the square, which soon expanded into a gigantic bouncy house. Luckily, Cherry ended up landing right in the middle of it. Lionel sighed in relief as he passed out. Cherry seemed to get to her knees and stood up.

"Don't... Scare me... Like that... Cherry..." Lionel panted.

"I'm not Cherry." Cherry's face turned with a wicked smirk, showing to be a demon instead with a dramatic music sting.

* * *

Lionel's eyes flashed open as it was just a dream before he bolted off to her bedroom, opening the door. Cherry turned over in her sleep with a light snore as she was safe and sound in bed.

Lionel sighed. "...This is gonna keep me up all night..." he muttered. "But as long as she stays safe, alive, and I can help her be happy again... Then I don't care."

A black spirit with a crazy grin and fiendish yellow eyes seemed to chuckle at him while hiding in Cherry's ear.

Lionel blinked at it. "Oh, for crap's sakes..." he muttered as he shrunk down and followed after it.

* * *

The black spirit smirked as it ran inside Cherry's head while she slept, completely unaware of what was going on around her.

"Oh, no, ya don't, you formless fiend," Lionel growled. "I intend to extract you from inside this mind, even if I must do so by force!"

The black spirit snickered as it kept slipping away. The two went through several doors together in the fashion of a Scooby-Doo chase scene. The black spirit soon went behind a door that had a star on it like in a movie star's dressing room.

"Aha! I have you now, you little slug!" Lionel remarked, magicking up a specially-made Proton Pack and going in after it.

It seemed to be dark as night inside.

"It's so dark... All I can see are my eyes..." Lionel said as he came in.

Lights shot on as a classroom was shown with Cherry in it as she looked scared to death as the other students sat with grim silence and the colors were all muted, almost like black and white with pale colors.

"Whoof... What's going on?" Lionel asked, observing the scene. "I can see them, but they can't see me..."

A familiar man was shown to be coming into the classroom while the students looked blankly at him. "Good day, class." he then greeted.

"Good day, Mr. Kraft." The class replied in robotic voices together.

"Your regular teacher can't make it because she fell on her bathroom floor getting out of the shower and hit her head, so I'll be filling in today," Mr. Kraft told them. "So today, we'll be having a little quiz... An ORAL MATH QUIZ... I will point at you and you will answer an equation I give you or you will suffer the consequences. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Kraft." The class replied while Cherry looked scared to death.

"Uh-oh..." Lionel gulped. "Dunno what this 'oral math quiz' thing is, but from how terrified she is, it's most likely a bad thing..."

"What's the square root of 144?!" Mr. Kraft called on one student.

"12!" The student replied.

"What's the full number of pi?!" Mr. Kraft continued.

"3.14159265358979."

"Miss Butler... What is 1+1?"

"Green!" Cherry cried out. "I mean The Gettysburg Address! I mean... I mean... AAAUGH!"

"Hoo boy..." Lionel remarked. "Things are about to get worse! Even moreso if I don't nab that nightmare monster... **THERE YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!**"

The black spirit seemed to come behind Mr. Kraft while everyone in the class seemed to laugh at Cherry. Cherry was soon in front of the classroom with a dunce cap on her head with a very sad look on her face.

"Gotcha!" Lionel exclaimed as he fired up his pack, and shot a beam at the black spirit creature, immobilizing it.

Another black spirit came out and escaped.

"Oh, come on!" Lionel glared as he chased after that one now.

* * *

There was a new door shown of Cherry's home as she was shown, holding a test paper that had a B+ on it, though two shadowed figures were yelling and screaming at each other. It wasn't fully clear with what they were saying, though the woman's voice sounded emotional like she could cry while the man's voice sounded dark and aggressive, though neither of them were paying attention to Cherry right now.

"Wow... She wasn't kidding..." Lionel remarked. "Her home life _is _crummy, no wonder she spends so much time in Gotham. And if that wasn't bad enough, Sombra just _has _to make her life worse, just because she got her **FIRST FRIEND!**"

Cherry fell to her knees as she cupped her face and cried as her parents argued. The dark spirit cackled as it plagued her nightmares and memories.

"Oh-kay then... That. Is. IT!" Lionel scowled. "I've had all I can stands, and I can't stands no more! C'mon out here, and face me, ya wuss!"

The black spirits cackled as they spun all around.

"Who are you?!" Lionel glared. _"What _are you?! Leave Cherry alone!"

The spirits morphed into one big form who smirked to him, looking like a bigger form almost like Chernabog from Disney's Fantasia.

"You. Don't. Scare. Me." Lionel spat as he fired up his proton pack and shot at the gigantic spirit.

The spirit chuckled darkly.

"Who are you anyway?" Lionel glared.

"I am Lord Somnum Exterreri, the embodiment of nightmare fuel," The spirit replied darkly. "I was sent to shatter this little girl's psyche for as long as she should live on this pitiful and pathetic Earth."

"Well, breaking news, Som... Som... Whatever-your-name-is," said Lionel. "I refuse to let you do that!"

The spirit cackled loudly. "And how do _you _intend to stop me?" he asked. "There is only ONE of you!"

"You'd be surprised at what only one of me can do." Lionel retorted.

"Let's do it then," The spirit smirked. "I'm afraid your time to stop anyone is too late."

"Then quit your yapping and let's _do _this already!" Lionel shouted as he fired his pack.

The nightmare spirit laughed as he magicked up spheres to shoot at him. "I can make your worst fears come alive... This WAS Cherry's dream... But now it's **_YOUR_ NIGHTMARE!**"

"Bring it ON!" Lionel roared. "Gimme all you got!"

A ball soon hit him right in the face.

"Prepare to face your greatest fear." The nightmare spirit cackled.

* * *

"JUST TRY IT!" Lionel snapped. "I can take anything you can dish out! Saaaaay, what's going on?"

"Your worst fears..." The spirit cackled.

Atticus soon formed from the sphere to look to Lionel.

"Erm... Hey, Atticus..." Lionel said. "What's up?"

Atticus smiled a bit dementedly before punching him which sent him flying across the room.

"Oooh... Okay, that _really _hurt," grunted Lionel, as he tried to get to his feet, but only felt pain. "Ow! Hey... That actually HURT! Okay, I know Atticus is too nice to hurt me willingly, so it's definitely not him... Then again, something must be wrong with my powers! How _else _would I have felt how much that hurt?"

Atticus walked over to Lionel to kick against him. A form of Mo came out to tie Lionel up with her vines.

"Wait!" Cherry's voice said as she seemed to walk over.

"Oh, hey," Lionel coughed, a thin stream of blood coming from his mouth. "This is probably the part where you're gonna hurt me even more than they did."

"I just wanted to say goodbye, Little Piggy!" Cherry smirked, squealing like a pig to mock him.

The three soon laughed harshly at him purposely to make him feel bad as that seemed to be his worst fear.

"Wow... That really _does _hurt..." Lionel sighed, as he dropped his head down sadly.

The nightmare spirit laughed.

Cherry groaned in her sleep as she sweated profusely a bit from that before tossing and turning.

"Of course... It would hurt a lot more if I didn't know this wasn't real." Lionel replied, lifting his head with a smug smile.

The spirit soon left him on his own with a cackle. "Good luck trying to get out... I'm out to cause more paranoia and anxiety..." he then mocked. "Also, it looks like your little friend is about to wake up any second now."

"Nothing DOING, bucko!" Lionel growled as he wriggled free and came after him. "I said I'd help her, and I will! And no stupid, half-assed Freddy Krueger WANNABE is gonna stop me!"

The nightmare spirit laughed as he kept flying around until he seemed to fade away.

"Get back here!" Lionel glared. "Where are you going?"

"Your friend is about to wake up," The nightmare spirit smirked. "If you stick around here any longer, you'll be stuck until the next time she falls asleep... Well... Bye!" he then poofed away until the next time that Cherry would fall asleep.

"DAMN IT!" Lionel growled. "I'll get him next time... I swear it!" And with a snap of his fingers, he left as well.

* * *

Cherry grunted and groaned before panting as she began to wake up from her power nap which left her in a very hot sweat as she looked quite miserable after waking up.

Lionel flopped back into his own bed, tired as a dog. "That stupid nightmare monster... I was chasing him all night, so I didn't get any sleep of my OWN..." he yawned. "Well... At least Cherry is okay..."

"Lionel...?" Cherry asked. "When did you get in my room?"

"Ugh... Long story..." Lionel groaned. "Chasing... Nightmare monster... It went into your mind, trapped me for awhile... And he's gonna come back tonight and do it all again..."

"Nightmare Monster...?" Cherry asked before leaning over her bed, then took out a very big, thick book which was a handbook to Supernatural Elements. "Ugh... Man... This thing looks like a little black book with how Drell holds it..." she grunted before flipping through the pages to see if she could find the Nightmare Monster in the book as it sounded pretty important.

"Called himself... Somnum Exterreri..." Lionel yawned as he dozed off.

Cherry nodded as she went to check for that in the book. She then gave him a pillow and a blanket, leaving him a note as she walked off into The Other Realm briefly. Lionel mumbled in his sleep, though he seemed to shuffle as well.

* * *

Cherry stealthed along as she came into The Other Realm. Zelda seemed to be there, picking up ingredients for spells and potions with her sister.

"Aunt Zelda?" Cherry asked.

"Oh, hello, Cherry," Zelda smiled. "Surprised to see you here."

"Heh..." Cherry chuckled bashfully. "Just passing through... Hoping to find out more about Somnum Exterreri..."

"Somnum Exterreri?" asked Zelda, curious. "...Whatever for?"

"Lionel says that he's in my head and seems to be responsible for my nightmares for the past... Gosh, feels like my whole life at this point..." Cherry replied.

"We'd probably have to call The Sandman," Zelda replied. "He can go into your dreams by touching your shoulder after you fall asleep. I can tell you have bigger things to worry about rather than night terrors."

"Zelda, you have no idea." Cherry bowed her head bashfully.

"Come on, then." Zelda replied, leading Cherry with her as Hilda followed the both of them.

"Erm... Yes, ma'am..." Cherry said bashfully.

"How are you today, Cherry?" Hilda asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, Hilda," Cherry replied. "You don't mind me coming over?"

"We never mind with you," Hilda smiled. "You and your friends are like the kids we never had whenever you come over with Sabrina."

"Excellent." Cherry grinned with two thumb's up to the fourth wall.

* * *

And so they went to the Spellman house, which looked creepy as usual. Cherry sat on the couch between Hilda and Zelda.

"You kids must've had a lot of fun last night if you were quiet." Hilda smiled obliviously.

"Heh... Sure..." Cherry replied. "Lots of fun. Except for maybe Drell."

"What _about _him?" asked Hilda. "Lemme guess; he was all pissy because I just happened to get killed on the day we were supposed to have a date?"

"Erm... Yes, ma'am..." Cherry replied.

"Way to go, Zelly!" Hilda glared.

"Well, you borrowed my favorite sweater without asking!" Zelda glared back.

"I said I was sorry after I came back!" Hilda replied.

"I should go..." Cherry said as she suddenly felt uncomfortable with the Spellman sisters.

"Oh, very well," sighed Zelda. "Just remember what we said about contacting the Sandman."

"How do I meet him though?" Cherry asked.

"There's a union of Sandmen in the Other Realm," Zelda replied. "And yes, I said 'Sandmen', not 'Sandman'."

"So there's more than one?" Cherry asked.

"Oh, yes," Hilda nodded. "Also any witch can work with him and work in the neighborhood they live in for work. Think of it as an apprenticeship."

"Well... I guess I have to put a stop to my personal nightmares before I do something stupid like weave a noose out of my bedsheets." Cherry chuckled weakly.

"No duh!" Hilda replied. "I saw that enough in the 80's, and once was enough for _me_, thanks. So get moving! Maybe take your friend with you for back-up."

"Erm... Right..." Cherry said as she stood up. "Thanks, Hilda. Thanks, Zelda."

The Spellman sisters smiled to her as she walked off to go back home once she knew what to do now.

"I like that girl," Zelda commented. "She reminds me a little of myself at that age."

"Except a little more fun," Hilda smirked. "Guess she could use a parental figure or two."

"Hmm..." Zelda paused from the first notion. "Quite..."

But it could wait until later. Right now, Cherry had a mission of her own.

* * *

Cherry came by the Other Realm just to take a quick walk to clear her head before she would go back to see Lionel. "I really hope I can get rid of these inner demons from King Sombra..." she sighed to herself. "I have a shitty life enough as it is without him making it at least 10 times worse." And so she continued her little stroll.

Some witches and warlocks greeted her. Cherry nodded to them before running into one warlock who had a bowler hat in a little suit who looked to her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry..." Cherry said to him.

The warlock smiled cutely as it was no harm done and he gave her a lollipop.

"Wow... Thanks..." Cherry said as she took it and licked it a bit. "Mm... Root Beer. My favorite."

The warlock tipped his derby hat and took a bow.

"You're sweet..." Cherry said to him.

The warlock nodded to her.

"Who are you anyway?" Cherry asked.

The warlock took out a card from sleight of hand like a Las Vegas magician to give to her.

"'Skippy: The Overlord's Underling'," Cherry read the card aloud before looking to him. "I guess you work for Drell... Well, it's nice to meet you, uh, Skippy."

Skippy nodded in agreement, as if saying it was nice to meet her too, and stuck out his hand to shake.

"Oh... Sure..." Cherry said, shaking his hand. "Do you, uh, talk at all?"

Skippy looked to her, then held out his hands over his mouth and coughed a bit and coughed up a frog in his hands to show her.

"Frog in the throat... Very funny..." Cherry said. "I should go back to Lionel now, but, uh, we'll keep in touch."

Skippy nodded and waved cheerfully to her as she left.

"Nice guy for someone who works with Drell..." Cherry commented to herself. "I'll make sure to come back to find the Sandman with Lionel."

* * *

Eventually, Cherry came back and plopped onto her bed to relax a little bit.

Lionel yawned as he woke up and scratched himself. "Oogh... What a nap..." he grunted.

"Feel better?" Cherry asked him.

"Sure..." Lionel replied. "I need a way to nab that nightmare monster trying to mess with your dreams...but it's like he keeps on slipping through my fingers!"

"Hilda and Zelda suggest talking with a Sandman." Cherry remarked.

"Sandman, huh?" Lionel asked. "Alrighty then, let's go find one of 'em."

"So, you're aware they have more than one?" Cherry replied. "That was news to me!"

"Honestly, I read about it, and it makes sense," replied Lionel. "How could one guy get everyone on Earth to go to sleep in one night?"

"I guess the same way Santa Claus gives presents to all of the kids on Earth." Cherry shrugged.

"I just figured he had the elves work out a sort of teleportation device so he could zap the presents and coal to every kid on the planet," replied Lionel. "That and hard-light holograms to make it look like he was there, took a bite of the cookie, a little sip of milk, that sorta thing."

"Well, at least we have something to do for the holidays," Cherry shrugged. "Let's hear it! Christmas Season in Gotham City 2019! Let's get this going! New Year of 2020!"

Lionel chuckled. "Love that enthusiasm."

* * *

They soon left the room briefly to see what Bruce was up to, but now, he seemed to be getting ready for a night out.

"Ooh-hoo! Gettin' ready for a night on the town, eh?" Lionel asked. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"I'm going to visit a little someone in town." Bruce replied.

Cherry glanced over a bit.

"All right... It's Selina." Bruce then said.

"Hmm... Uncle Bruce..." Cherry said to herself.

"Aw-aw-AWOOOOO!" Lionel whooped. "Going for the gold again!"

"I'm curious about something." Dick smirked.

"Oh, this should be good." Cherry remarked.

"Does this mean Selina is two-timing Batman with you, or vice versa?" Dick asked Bruce.

"Don't you have something to do?" Bruce replied as Alfred helped him get ready.

"Nope." Dick smirked.

"Oh, I've got one," Cherry spoke up. "Maybe she likes you both because you're both the same guy, only she doesn't know it."

"Or maybe she knows, cuz you two sound so much alike!" Lionel added.

Cherry chuckled a bit with Dick while Bruce gave them a look. Alfred then handed over a bouquet of flowers to Bruce.

"Oh, how thoughtful." Cherry remarked.

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce said, accepting the flowers as he then walked off with them.

"Time to strut your stuff!" Lionel winked. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

"Aw! You beat me to it." Dick playfully pouted.

"Very amusing." Bruce mumbled to them as he went to his date.

"Just try to have fun." Cherry said.

"And you don't do anything drastic," Bruce told her. "I know you're in a lot of pain, but you have a lot of support over here since I'll be busy. Can you promise me that?"

Cherry sighed a bit. "I guess."

Lionel nodded at her. Bruce then walked off to go meet Selina for their date.

* * *

Cherry soon stared at her homework of Math which looked pretty lengthy. "I hate Mr. Kraft... I want him gone..." she growled. "Who says he can fill in for absent teachers anyway? I think he just comes to school to see us all suffer... I miss Mr. Pool."

"I figure I can help you breeze through it," replied Lionel. "I'm not good at math, but I know a spell or two about filling in homework."

"Go ahead, Lionel," Cherry replied tiredly already. "Wow me."

Lionel cracked his knuckles and fired a blast at the paper, writing in the answers on the paper.

"Hopefully they're at least right." Cherry said.

"You're welcome." Lionel replied.

"...It's a start, but thanks," Cherry said. "Also pretty crazy that those Super-Pets helped us out. Didn't expect that to happen... Along with some kid."

"Kevin, Krypto's caretaker," replied Lionel. "He's a good kid from what I heard."

"Yeah, I suppose," Cherry shrugged. "Not sure how I feel about him, though he seems a lot more tolerable than Damian."

"At least Kevin seems like a normal kid," replied Lionel. "Damian was BRED to be a savage killer."

"Fair enough..." Cherry shrugged from that. "So, what should we do while Bruce and Aunt Selina have some fun?"

"May as well go find a Sandman," replied Lionel. "The others seem pretty busy."

"All right," Cherry said. "Come with me to the Other Realm."

Lionel nodded and soon walked off with her into the Other Realm which was the supernatural one away from the Mortal Realm.

* * *

"Always feels Halloweeny around these parts," Cherry commented. "I like that."

"Kinda like... The Addams Family." replied Lionel.

"Hmm... There should be a directory..." Cherry said.

"Can I help you, dears?" An old redheaded woman asked as she wore a cloak while holding a basket.

"Uh, yes, could you help us to the Sandmen?" Cherry asked.

"Ah, of course," The woman replied as she walked them down a long path. "So good to see some curious children about. I can tell you're not pure mortals, I have a special sense for that sort of thing."

"Heh... I dunno about me not being a mortal," Cherry replied. "My friend here though? I don't think he's even human."

"You're right on that," Lionel replied, as he popped his head off his neck with ease. "Last I checked, humans can't do THIS!"

"Oh, aren't you clever?" The woman chuckled a bit.

They soon came to a cottage that looked like it had a lot of hourglasses with it.

"The Sandmen usually meet here," The woman informed. "I hope it works out."

"Thanks, ma'am," Cherry replied. "That was helpful."

"Oh, but of course, I can be nice when I want to be." The woman smirked.

"Sorry, we didn't quite catch your name," replied Lionel. "What was your name?"

"Oh, you can call me Mary Ruth, dears." The woman replied.

"Mary Ruth..." Cherry repeated like that name meant something to her somehow, but she shrugged it off. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'm Cherry and this is Lionel."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss!" Lionel beamed.

Mary Ruth smiled as she walked off.

"Cool old lady..." Cherry said before taking the knocker and clanked it against the door to knock.

A man came to the door, yawning and stretching as he answered. He wore brown pajamas and a tasseled nightcap.

"Erm... Hello... Are you _a_ Sandman?" Cherry asked.

"Oh, I'm much more than that," The man smiled sleepily. "I'm _The _Sandman. My friends call me Sandy."

"GREAT!" Lionel exclaimed. "You dunno how glad we are to see you! We are in desperate need of your assistance!"

"Oh, okay." Sandy said as he took out a handful of sand to blow in their faces.

"Augh! No, no, no, wait!" Cherry cried out. "We don't need to sleep."

"Well, that's very confusing." Sandy said as he looked exhausted again.

"See, you gotta help," explained Lionel. "There's this nightmare monster calling himself Somnum something-or-other, and he's going inside my friend's head, and I tried to catch him, but he eluded me, and** WE NEED YOUR HELP, SO PLEASE HELP US CATCH HIM!**" he sobbed. "**I CAN'T DO THIS MYSELF!**"

"Ohh... I get it... Come on in..." Sandy said as he led them inside. "Help yourselves to some warm milk or roast turkey sandwiches."

"The sound of that is just making me sleepy..." Cherry said with a sudden yawn.

Sandy led them into his office with clocks shown to be all around the world with a very big book. "All right, dear, what's your name?" he then asked the perky goth.

"Cherry Butler." Cherry replied.

"Yes... Cherry... Cherry..." Sandy said as he grabbed his book to put on his desk, letting them sit by as a bunch of random sheep walked by with numbers on them. "You have some of the most interesting dreams I've ever seen since I earned the status of a legendary folklore figure in 1816 like Santa Claus and The Easter Bunny. Now, let me see if I can find a way to help you out before my nap time, I can tell this is very important to you two."

"Buddy, you got NO idea how important!" Lionel replied. "I want to help her, but I can't do that if I'm tired out from chasing some crazy nightmare monster thru her brain every night!"

"Let's see..." Sandy said as he looked through his book. "Ah... Yes... Lord Somnum Exterreri: The Nightmare King from The Nightmare Realm... I am not very fond of that guy myself. I've been trying to stop him for centuries. Cherry, you're very lucky to be alive."

"Uh, I am?" Cherry asked.

"Yes," Sandy nodded. "Lord Somnum could've given you very fatal nightmares that if you died in, you could die in real life. I just wonder who could have summoned him out of The Nightmare Realm just to terrorize you?"

"Five bucks says it was this jerk named King Sombra," replied Lionel. "He apparently cursed Cherry and is tryin' to ruin her life! **OOH, HOW I HATE HIM! I WOULD GIVE MY APPENDIX TO MAKE SURE HE SUFFERED A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH!**"

"Ooh... King Sombra..." Sandy shuddered. "He was just never the same after Princess Celestia didn't reconcile his feelings for her."

At that point, Lionel turned red and steam shot from his ears. "**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!**" he boomed. "**_THAT'S_ WHY HE'S TERRORIZING MY BEST FRIEND/ROMANTIC INTEREST?! BECAUSE HE GOT REJECTED?! THAT PETTY, CHILDISH ASSWIPE! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!**"

Suddenly a bar of soap was in his mouth. Cherry snickered slightly from that.

"Sorry," Sandy replied. "There are children present."

Lionel spat in disgust. "Yecch..." he muttered. "...My point still stands. That's the dumbest, most petty reason for becoming evil. Another reason why this butt-munch needs his kicked."

"It is... Heartbreak can be painful, but Cherry is also destined to stop this fiend that can plague anyone's nightmares far beyond my understanding as THE Sandman." Sandy said to them.

"Me?" Cherry asked. "Why me?"

"You have a special ability that hasn't been seen in a century..." Sandy said. "Cherry Butler... You are a dream-bender." he then said which cued dramatic music.

"Dream-bender? Elaborate." Lionel replied.

"I'll do my best," Sandy smiled. "A dream-bender is someone who is able to walk into one's dreams and create physical objects in thin air using their most powerful imaginations. It seems it might be a good time for Cherry here to unlock her abilities."

"Which abilities?" Cherry asked.

"Oh, you shall see," Sandy replied. "Do you wish to let this boy come with you into the Dream Realm?"

Cherry looked over to Lionel. "You wanna come with me?" she then asked. "This could be a good chance for us to learn how to conquer this nightmare spirit since we already have issues to work with against Poison Ivy and Hush."

"For you, cara mia? Anything," Lionel replied. "Let us be going!"

"But first... Before I take you two there," Sandy said before taking out a dream-catcher. "You'll need this to get into the Dream Realm together. I'll meet you there and I'll be more awake to help you two become the Dream Warriors of this century to stop that nightmare fiend and I'll help train you there."

"Um, thanks, Sandy," Cherry said as she accepted the dream-catcher. "So, how does it work?"

"Both of you just hold onto it once you fall asleep and I'll meet you in the Dream Realm." Sandy instructed.

"Hmm... Sounds simple enough," Lionel replied. "See you on the other side!"

"See you there when the time comes..." Sandy said before yawning and stretching. "But for now, it's time for my nap."

Cherry and Lionel rolled their eyes from that and soon came back to the Mortal Realm with the dream-catcher.

* * *

"So... Should we do it now?" asked Lionel.

"I guess Bruce is still out, so maybe we'll have time." Cherry shrugged.

"Okay, then." replied Lionel as he and Cherry clutched the dream-catcher.

The dream-catcher glowed with them as they suddenly passed out in the middle of the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

The two then woke up in a black and white room with a long, long, long hallway that had doors on the walls with peoples' names on them.

"This must be the place." Cherry said to Lionel.

"Curious... Very curious, indeed," replied Lionel. "Which one should we be looking for? And perhaps your dream-bending powers could allow you to turn the tide."

"Hmm..." Cherry paused before she concentrated which made a map appear.

"Excellent!" Lionel approved.

Cherry looked through the map. "Okay, we have to turn around, go down the hallway, then an elevator will appear to take us straight to the Sandman we all know and love." she then instructed from what she read.

"Okay then, let's go." Lionel nodded as they set off.

Cherry looked around curiously along the way. They soon came to the elevator which shot them straight up like a rocket.

"Whoa!" Cherry gasped.

"Baa~..." A random sheep bleated in an elevator valet uniform like Droopy Dog in ToonTown.

"AAAAAAAARE... WEEEEEEEE... THERRRRRRRRE... YETTTTTTT?!" Lionel grunted.

"Baa!" The sheep replied.

Eventually, the door opened which made them flop out onto a floor.

"Baa..." The sheep said as he then went back down the elevator.

Cherry and Lionel groaned as they got up off of the floor as Sandy was waiting for them, shown to be wide awake for once.

"Okay, we're here," Lionel wheezed. "What's up, Mr. Sandman?"

"So glad that you two made it," Sandy said to them. "I hereby dub you two Dream-Busters in Training."

"Dream-Busters..." Cherry commented. "That's quite a name."

"It's something," Sandy replied. "Luckily I have helpers all over the world to take care of my duties for the sleeping of others so I can help you out. You'll have to go through training of special sections to handle this Nightmare King. Let's just hope you never get to meet Wizeman the Wicked, but that's a different story for another day."

"Alright then," replied Lionel. "What do we do first? Is this where our training begins?"

"Yes, Cherry, you can also think up of anything you wish and can," Sandy said. "Lionel could too though if this were his dream, but you're able to in any part of the Dream Realm."

"Well, Lionel's pretty good at doing that himself," Cherry shrugged. "Could he still here?"

"Hmm... He could try..." Sandy said. "Lionel, try making something like a sword and shield."

"Okay then." Lionel replied as he concentrated, creating a laser sword and an electric shield.

"Not what I expected, but it looks like you can help Cherry after all." Sandy smiled.

"Well, it's good to see you awake rather than sleepy all the time." Cherry replied.

"And you seem more interesting than that kid Davey from the 80's who fell asleep in school all the time with adventurous daydreams," Sandy said to her. "The big thing is to kill this Nightmare Lord before he destroys you Cherry along with anyone else in the Mortal Realm's dreams. This is far beyond anything I've ever seen back in my home of Nightopia."

"Okay... So how do we kill him?" asked Lionel.

"You'll have to trap him and face your biggest fears and nightmares." Sandy replied.

"Sounds easier said than done, but I guess I'm willing to go for it." Cherry remarked.

"I'll gladly do it if it means putting that slime in his place for good." Lionel added.

"I love that enthusiasm," Sandy replied. "Let's try some target practice."

"Right..." Cherry nodded. "Can't be too much different from firing a Baterang."

"Okay," replied Lionel. "What are we firing?"

Sandy took them over to a training area that looked like a booth for shooting targets with. He then handed them some pouches that had magical sand in it.

"So we just practice hitting this guy?" Cherry asked.

"Well, this is Level 1 after all," Sandy replied. "Think of it as your orientation."

"Okay." shrugged Lionel.

Sandy set up the training dummies like at a carnival game to make them move for target practice.

"Eat, sand, ya jerk!" Cherry called out as she tried to throw sandballs.

Lionel just wound his arm and pitched a few sandballs at the training dummies.

"I know it's weird, but it's practice." Sandy reminded.

"I just want bad school days to stop invading me in my sleep," Cherry replied. "Sleep is my only relief back home."

"Don't worry," replied Lionel. "As long as I got breath in me, I'll help ensure a brighter tomorrow for all of us!"

"You have a decent soul." Cherry approved of that.

"Thank you," replied Lionel. "And if I can save yours, then that's just fine with me."

Sandy watched them closely as he acted as a mentor for them.

* * *

They then had to learn how to conquer illusions and had to learn how to tell the difference between illusions and what was real, though that was a bit harder than they thought it would be. Though they managed to figure it out after a few tries.

"There, you're getting better." Sandy approved.

"You weren't kidding," Cherry replied. "But I guess that's the thing about dreams... You never know what's real or what's just from imagination."

Sandy nodded to that just before a black spirit appeared.

"Gah! It's him!" Cherry called out, taking out her vacuum-like weapon to suck the black spirit up.

"Great, Cherry!" Sandy approved. "You got him on your own instinct that time."

"Right on!" Lionel whooped. "Atta girl!"

Cherry looked bashful between the two.

"We'll keep going a bit," Sandy said. "You're both doing great so far. I'm sorry he's tormenting you, Cherry."

"It's okay," Cherry replied. "Not to mention with what's King Sombra's done to my brother."

"Hm?" Sandy blinked.

"Friend!" Cherry said sheepishly. "Atticus is my best friend... Heh..."

"Friend, but she sees him as a brother." Lionel replied.

"What he said." Cherry added.

"So I see," Sandy chuckled. "That sounds nice for you all. Most of my friends are just a countless amount of sheep."

"Ah, right," replied Lionel. "Cuz that's what you do when you can't sleep: you count sheep."

Sandy nodded from that.

* * *

The training kept going for a while as Cherry and Lionel improved a lot over time.

"Feels like we've been here for hours." Cherry said.

"Time flies when you're dreaming." Sandy advised.

"I guess it's a time-dilation sort of thing." replied Lionel.

"Pretty much," Sandy said. "I'm glad to help you out though."

"I'm just glad to have some sort of help." Cherry replied.

"Agreed," replied Lionel. "So do we need to train some more, or what?"

"Hmm... I think you've done as much as you can until this nightmare spirit strikes back again," Sandy advised to them. "Just remember what I told you."

"Right: we have to face our fears in order to destroy him." Lionel nodded.

"Still sounds tricky, but I'm up for it if I must." Cherry added.

"Great," Sandy told them. "Dismissed."

Suddenly a bright light shot out which made Cherry and Lionel wake up back in the room with the dream-catcher in their hands.

* * *

"Well, that was interesting," replied Lionel. "At least this time we have an advantage."

"Yes, I suppose we do," Cherry sighed as she hugged her knees. "Just more craziness to worry about after spending the day in school with friends or hanging out in Wayne Manor with Bruce, Dickie, and Damian."

"This time, _I'll_ come with you," replied Lionel. "I'll masquerade as an exchange student from... Either Pennsylvania or Muskoka."

"Well, I guess in that case, I wish you a lot of luck." Cherry shrugged.

"It'll only be temporary," replied Lionel. "But I'll do what I can to help you."

"Still, I say, good luck," Cherry said. "I appreciate the effort though."

"Thanks," replied Lionel. "Though I always thought you didn't believe in luck."

"I don't, but I was always told that whenever I'm about to try out something new," Cherry shrugged. "Not sure what I could say from that to help otherwise."

"Nah, I appreciate it." Lionel smiled.

"Meanwhile, here's hoping that Bruce and Selina have a decent date..." Cherry said before bringing out a bottle of root beer for herself, then began to gulp it down to drown possible sorrows that she had.

"Hear, hear!" Lionel nodded.

Cherry gulped down her drink as she looked out the window while stepping to it.

"Still worried about Atticus?" Lionel asked.

"Maybe a little bit," Cherry said. "With him trying to find his family and all."

"Don't worry," replied Lionel. "We'll help him find them. We gotta focus on one problem at a time."

"Yeah..." Cherry sighed. "This world is just crazy most of the time."

"Don't I know it?" agreed Lionel.

"Hey, what're you guys doing?" Damian asked as he helped himself into Cherry's room. "Just talking?"

"Who said you could come in without knocking?" Cherry retorted with deadpan.

"Yeah, that's the rule," Lionel added. "You gotta knock first."

"I just wanna see what you guys are doing." Damian said.

"For the love of God, I'm not interested in sex until after I'm married!" Cherry glared.

"Ew... I didn't say that..." Damian grimaced. "Gross me out, why don't you?"

"I'm okay with that," replied Lionel. "I don't even know what sex is or how it works."

"Your boyfriend doesn't know about sex?" Damian asked.

"He's Canadian, NOW GET OUT!" Cherry replied.

Damian grumbled as he then went out the door as Cherry slammed it behind him.

"...Thanks." replied Lionel.

"I never wanted a little brother, looks like that waste of a wish came from after Batman met that crazy Talia chick..." Cherry rolled her eyes as she leaned against her now shut door.

"Once again, all that stuff in his belt, and he didn't even pack a Bat-Condom," Lionel added. "I don't consider him family."

"I much rather wouldn't myself." Cherry scoffed.

"Then I guess we agree on that." Lionel replied.

Cherry took another swig of root beer from that.

* * *

Later on, they went to watch some TV as the movie The Son of the Mask was on, though Cherry mostly had it on to make fun of it and riff on it as making fun of bad movies was one of her past times.

"I like the cartoony effects on the dog," replied Lionel. "Maybe I could use them in a fight sometime."

"I'm sure that would be good for you." Cherry shrugged.

"Seems to fit my fighting style," replied Lionel. "So, yeah. No point in kicking butt if I can't make someone laugh while I do it."

"Fair enough," Cherry remarked. "I try to be as scary as Batman, though that sometimes seems to fail. I guess my inner demons just come back to munch my butt to make sure I don't get too confident."

"That would explain why you're usually so humble." replied Lionel.

"I guess..." Cherry shrugged. "When I first met Atticus, it was a pretty dark time."

Lionel nodded. "I had a feeling you'd say that." he replied.

"It's like we were meant to maybe become friends," Cherry said. "He's pretty good to me."

"Yeah, I've noticed," replied Lionel. "He's cool like that."

"Except for when he met those bad boys who made fun of him for hanging out with me and calling us boyfriend and girlfriend..." Cherry rolled her eyes slightly. "Then he did stupid stuff like smoking cigarettes and drinking beer so I had to call Clark over. He got pretty mad at me for that night."

"If anything, _you had_ every right to be mad at him," Lionel replied. "You weren't the one in the wrong there."

"I guess at least he apologized the next day." Cherry said softly.

"...I guess that's okay." replied Lionel.

"Well, nature punished him a little," Cherry slightly chuckled. "He had a hangover that morning and threw up after he got back home with Clark."

"And that's why you'll never see me drinking alcohol." Lionel replied.

"It's actually not so bad once you can hold your liquor..." Cherry said which got her a look. "Not that I would know... Not that I'm trying to poison myself..."

"That's a relief." Lionel remarked.

"Heh..." Cherry grinned sheepishly.

They soon walked off a bit as Cherry finished up some homework that she had, leaving Lionel to be by himself for a little while.

* * *

They still had some time until Bruce came back from his night out.

"Well, that was fun." Cherry said.

"Sarcasm?" Lionel guessed since she said that about homework of all things.

"Actually, no," Cherry replied. "I just had to answer questions based on the chapter I read. Most people are probably just Googling the answers online, but I don't play that game."

"Good on ya," replied Lionel. "That's the right way you're doing it!"

"Yeah, that's why I tried to save it for last," Cherry said. "My mother always said to save the best for last, especially when eating a meal with a lot of different food groups."

"Smart advice," replied Lionel. "Hopefully your parents can get everything settled between them... For your sake."

"Hmm... Yeah..." Cherry said. "Although..."

"Yeah?" Lionel asked.

"I didn't mind Hilda and Zelda too much," Cherry had to admit. "They felt quite... Maternal around me."

"Really?" Lionel asked. "Funny, in an ironic way, how they seem like better parental figures towards you than Sabrina..."

"Heh... Yeah, I guess..." Cherry replied. "Oh... Oh, my..."

Lionel frowned.

"That might be a bit of a bummer for Sabrina." Cherry said weakly.

"No kidding," replied Lionel. "Sure, she'll try to be happy for you, but she'll be bummed out on the inside since Hilda and Zelda are her only relatives, and they barely even acknowledge her."

"Yeah..." Cherry said softly. "I guess she'll turn me into a frog or something out of a jealous rage like those gods and goddesses we were told about in school."

"Cherry, Sabrina isn't like that," replied Lionel. "She's our friend, not some petty Greek deity."

"Heh... Yeah, that's true..." Cherry admitted. "Guess I'm just worried that jealousy will affect our friendship."

"Hopefully our friendship is strong enough to overcome it." Lionel patted her gently on the shoulder.

"Yeah..." Cherry replied.

"Now I just gotta find a way to get into your school." Lionel said.

"I'd say ask Drell for help with that, but I doubt he has time for that," Cherry shrugged. "He is in charge of the Witch's Council after all and all he can tell us about Atticus's parents are clues of where they are. It's not like he's gonna just let you walk in and help you like that..." She then said with a failed attempt to snap her fingers.

"I think I can cover that," replied Lionel. "I can just magically make fake records for my alternate identity so that way, I'll be in the database."

"Yeah, school systems are funny like that," Cherry said. "Also hopefully Mr. Kraft will buy it. He seems to be suspicious of non-mortal students, especially with Sabrina being a half-witch."

"Well, then that should make things amusing." replied Lionel.

"Interesting for sure," Cherry said as she packed up her homework for school the next day. "We'll keep an eye out for that nightmare spirit. Hopefully, Sandy's training was at least somewhat helpful."

"Glad to know that," Lionel replied as he went to take a shower and prepare for bed. "This time, we won't be caught unawares!"

"I'll see you at breakfast then?" Cherry called to him.

"Count on it!" Lionel replied.

Cherry nodded as she went to get ready for bed herself. The two soon fell asleep once they got to bed as tonight seemed to be a pleasant way to end the day so far. And from how things were going, the rest of the night for them seemed to be quite pleasant as well. Luckily, the nightmare spirit didn't seem to attack them that night as they had a peaceful sleep. Nightwing came to check on them and decided not to disturb their sleep as he went to the Bat Cave to keep up with his training while Batman was still out for the night.

* * *

Eventually, the night gave way to a cloudy morning in Gotham, and true to his word, Lionel was at the breakfast table. Cherry poured herself some cereal before sitting at the table as today was a school day.

"Good morning, you two." Alfred greeted them.

"Morning, Alfred," Cherry said. "Where's Bruce?"

"I believe Master Bruce has had quite the festive evening with Miss Selina Kyle," Alfred said. "He hopes that that doesn't bother you."

"It's cool," Cherry shrugged. "Bruce is pretty much more of a father to me than my own father, so it might actually be nice."

"Yeah, hopefully he had fun last night," replied Lionel. "Heaven knows he definitely deserves to."

"Are you sure you don't want me to give you a ride to school, Miss Cherry?" Alfred asked.

"No, that's okay..." Cherry replied. "I can get to school just fine."

"Very well... Have a good day..." Alfred said as he walked off while giving her a glass of Tang to go with her breakfast.

"All right, Tang like the astronauts drank on the moon." Cherry beamed in her own way as she took the glass.

"Really?" asked Lionel as he swallowed his mouthful of breakfast food.

"Well, that's what they say," Cherry shrugged. "You wanna try some?"

Lionel nodded in response. Cherry poured him a glass and allowed him to try some for himself.

Lionel took his glass and drank some, then finished the rest of it. "Say, that's pretty tasty!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's pretty good," Cherry nodded. "I thought you might like some of it."

"Well, you thought right!" Lionel replied. "I'm ready to get going if you are!" He stopped, then said, "At least, after breakfast, that is."

"Just a few moments." Cherry replied.

Lionel nodded. Cherry placed the dirty dishes in the sink as she went to freshen up in the bathroom.

"You have a good day as well." Alfred told Lionel.

"And to you as well!" Lionel replied as he changed into a tall, lanky-looking kid with scruffy brown hair, a blue shirt and orange pants and sneakers.

"Ah... Yes... Very good..." Alfred nodded his head.


	10. Chapter 10

Eventually, Cherry walked towards her school with Lionel following behind her as several students hung out around the grounds until the class bell would ring, all talking with each other and having their own groups. Cherry sighed a bit as she was a little left out from that until she nearly fell over as Lionel caught her before she would hit the ground. Atticus smirked as he sped by with a football as Thor chased after him to tackle him.

"Morning, you two," Lionel waved. "What's up?"

"Oh, hey." Atticus smiled as he stopped running.

Thor soon pounced onto Atticus and tackled him. "Gotcha, ya son of a witch!" he then smirked.

"Ugh! No fair!" Atticus grunted.

"All's fair in love, war, and games!" Thor replied.

Lionel gave a chuckle at that. "Lively as always, aren't we?"

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" Thor nodded eagerly.

Atticus soon got himself free with a laugh. "...Lionel, is that you?" He asked. "I almost didn't recognize you."

"Sure is," nodded Lionel. "But in this form, I'm known as Pietro Vivaldi, an exchange student from Muskoka. My father was Italian, and my momma was a Canadian."

"I have no idea what that means, but hello, Pietro!" Thor smiled as he shook hands with Lionel, rather vigorously.

"Very nice to meet youse..." Lionel said in a Brooklyn accent. "Is everybody as... Friendly as your pal here?"

"If only that were the case..." Atticus sighed. "People seem to be in their own groups around here... The nerds... The jocks... The cheerleaders... The mean girls... The drama geeks... You get the idea."

"So I see," Lionel replied before he turned to Thor. "Y'know, if you wasn't a guy, you'd make an awfully cute girl. Just sayin'."

"Heh... Thanks, I guess?" Thor smiled sheepishly with a shrug.

Lionel playfully tussled Thor's hair. "No problem, big guy," he replied.

Courtney walked by, shoving Cherry against the ground.

"Mmf!" Cherry muffled.

"What?" Courtney glared back at Atticus who glared at her.

"I really don't like you picking on my friends." Atticus said.

Courtney mimicked him as she walked into the school.

"Hey, bitch!" Lionel sneered. "What, you too friggin' good to apologize? Get your fuckin' ass BACK here!"

Courtney glared towards him as he walked off.

"Ugh... That Courtney Williams..." Thor glared. "If she wasn't a girl, I'd send her to the moon."

"Your dad won't let you hit girls?" Atticus asked.

"Oh, he said I could hit anyone if they totally deserved it, but he said not to fight girls in school," Thor said with narrowed eyes. "'Cuz they'd get me in a lot of trouble and everyone would take the girls' side because of guys being the unfair sex 'cuz... Well... I dunno why, but it's stupid, man. It's just so stupid!"

"Tell me about it," replied Lionel. "But I've already got a plan cooked up to get some serious payback."

"You came up with something already?" Thor asked. "This, I gotta hear!"

"Ah-ah, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," replied Lionel. "You're just gonna hafta see it play out later."

"Hmm... All right..." Thor said.

The bell soon rang which made everyone go inside to their lockers to get ready for school.

* * *

"Hey, buddy, can I copy your Math homework?" Thor asked Atticus.

"You won't learn anything," Atticus replied. "Didn't _you_ do it last night?"

"Not my fault," Thor groaned. "I had to do Charm School after midnight so I went to bed after dinner."

"If you guys have regular school in the day, and Charm School at night..." replied Lionel. "Then where does the sleep fit in?"

"I have Charm School at night," Thor explained. "I usually have football practice after school while everyone else has Charm School, so Uncle Drell gives me some one-on-one sessions so I can catch up. It was either this or choose one or the other."

"Oh." replied Lionel, a little confused.

"Trust me, Charm School is complicated enough as it is..." Atticus whispered to Lionel.

"Students." Mr. Kraft greeted as he came by them which made Cherry roll her eyes.

"Good morning, Vice-Principal Kraft." the students greeted.

"I don't believe I recognize your little friend here." Mr. Kraft said as he examined Lionel.

"Ah, my name is Pietro Vivaldi," replied Lionel casually. "I'm an exchange student from Muskoka. My father's from Venice, and my mother is from... Well, Muskoka."

"Hmm... Interesting," Mr. Kraft replied. "Well, Mr. Vivaldi, welcome to our school. I expect you to treat me with the utmost respect like many of the students in this school do so we can all get along nicely."

A spitwad was soon shot at him followed by snickering.

"Who shot that?! Alright, kid, I see you!" Mr. Kraft glared as he went to chase after the rowdy student.

"...I'll keep that in mind, sir," Lionel replied with a smug smirk. "It's good to be here."

Mr. Kraft yelled out as the student laughed at his misfortune.

"So, if everyone's in a group, who are you guys?" Lionel asked.

"The Misfits?" Thor shrugged.

"Huh... I guess it fits," replied Lionel. "In a way, none of us really fit in, so to speak, but I'm okay with that."

"I'm only popular in Gym Class," Atticus rolled his eyes. "Girls try to check out my muscles."

"Figures," replied Lionel. "Talk about shallow."

"Mm-hmm..." Atticus nodded. "So, uh, how's Bruce doing?"

"He seems to be fine." Cherry smirked as Bruce seemed to be spending a lot of time with Selina lately.

"Personally, I've never seen him so... Content with his life," added Lionel. "He seems almost... Dare I say it... Happy."

"I don't think I've ever seen that guy smile before." Atticus replied.

"I have, but that's usually just to be friendly at those boring parties or the opera." Cherry remarked.

Lionel nodded. "This actually feels... Genuine."

"Well, that's good," Atticus smiled. "I know myself that Clark is happy whenever he goes out with Diana. I love it when they invite me sometimes too, it makes me feel like I have an actual family."

Cherry let out a small emotional sniff before mumbling. "God Dammit..."

Lionel gave her a hug and a pat on the back.

"So can I copy your homework?" Thor asked Atticus.

Atticus rolled his eyes from that as he walked off to class with them.

"Aw, come on!" Thor begged. "You're the best in Math."

Lionel shrugged as he followed the others. Today was definitely getting off to an amusing start.

* * *

They soon came to class, though Thor looked like he was close to falling asleep as soon as he sat in his desk.

"Sorry I missed you last night and this morning, had a long night." Cherry read aloud from a text from Bruce that just came into her phone.

Lionel sat down near the others as the rest of the students filed into the classroom. Thor snored as he fell asleep on top of his desk.

"Does this happen often?" Lionel asked.

"I'm afraid so." Atticus sighed.

"Can't say I blame him," shrugged Lionel. "I've heard things about this... Math Class, and they don't paint a pretty picture."

"They don't have Math in Canada?" Atticus teased.

Lionel rolled his eyes. "Like I said, never been to school before." he retorted.

"Sorry, I guess you didn't have much back at your old place." Atticus replied.

"Hey, it's fine." replied Lionel.

Sabrina came to class a little late.

"Hey, cous." Thor smiled as he saw her.

"Don't call me that." Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"Sorry..." Thor replied, turning away.

"Could you _be_ any snootier?" Cherry asked.

"Hmph..." Sabrina huffed as she sat down at her desk.

"Jeez, what laid eggs in _her _butt?" asked Lionel.

"I... I don't know..." Cherry shrugged.

"I guess she woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Thor replied as he yawned a bit while making his textbooks into a pillow.

"Fair point." replied Lionel.

"Hello, class." Mr. Kraft said.

Most of the students groaned as they saw him come to the front of the classroom.

"Your regular teacher's out sick today, so I have to fill in for her to go over your lessons." Mr. Kraft told them.

"Somehow I feel like this was coming..." Lionel muttered under his breath.

"He does this a lot." Cherry said to him.

"Is that whispering I hear?" Mr. Kraft replied. "Maybe a pop quiz instead!"

Everyone immediately shut up at that.

"That's what I thought..." Mr. Kraft said. "Also, there's a new student joining your class which he said he was Canadian and Italian?"

"...That would be me, sir." Lionel piped up.

"Ah, yes," Mr. Kraft replied. "Please, stand up."

Lionel went to do what he was told.

"Yes, class, this is your new classmate... Uh... Darn, I already forgot..." Mr. Kraft said. "I believe you said your name was Peter?"

"Pietro, actually," Lionel replied calmly, giving off sort of a handsome look at the students. "Pietro Vivaldi."

"Right... Pietro Vivaldi..." Mr. Kraft replied. "What do we say, class?"

The class blinked dully before they all spoke at once in a bit of a dry monotone. "Welcome to our school, Pietro."

Pietro blinked. "Whoa... I've heard more lively introductions in a graveyard..." he muttered. "Glad to be here. It should be an... Interesting experience for me." he said out loud.

"Yes, just don't get into trouble and you and I should get along fine," Mr. Kraft told him. "Strange though, I don't remember anyone telling me that there would be a new transfer student today."

Lionel twitched his toes, sending his file into the school system. "Well, sometimes people are informed, and sometimes they don't know until the last minute." he replied with a shrug.

"Hmm... Right..." Mr. Kraft replied. "I'll be sure to tell Mrs. Quick about this."

"Okay." replied Lionel as he went back to his seat.

"Now, where was I?" Mr. Kraft asked.

"Early dismissal!" A student coughed in the background.

"Nice try," Mr. Kraft replied. "I believe I suggested a pop quiz!"

The students groaned from that as Mr. Kraft soon handed out papers for them all to take. Lionel sighed as he took out a pencil and glanced down at the paper. The students all followed suit as Mr. Kraft set a timer for them as he went back to behind the teacher's desk. Atticus sighed, but worked swiftly as he was the best student in Math as he worked extra hard since his grades dropped from his previous rebellious phase from around the time of his birthday. Lionel discreetly gave his pencil a spell to fill the answers out, but he made sure to write slowly so that Mr. Kraft didn't get suspicious. Mr. Kraft glanced over slightly before shrugging as he read a magazine to fulfill his time.

"Boy, I'd kill for a summon to Charm School right about now." Cherry muttered quietly to herself.

Lionel took a quick glance to make sure nobody was looking, and gave Cherry's pencil the same spell jolt as his, so when she wrote with it, it put down the correct answer. Cherry blinked as she felt something, but didn't let it interrupt her work. As soon as Lionel finished, he sat back and began drawing on another piece of paper. When Atticus finished, he read a book that Clark gave him. Cherry seemed to write poetry in her notebook as she mind wandered a bit to some music she brought with her with her headphones that luckily no one else would hear.

* * *

Eventually, everyone else got done with their quizzes. Mr. Kraft soon went to collect their quiz papers once they were all done. Cherry stared out the window as her mind was elsewhere, though she looked happy about Bruce and Selina becoming a couple. Lionel glanced over at her as the papers were taken up.

"I hope no one cheated." Mr. Kraft chuckled a bit to himself.

Some of the others rolled their eyes from that as he took their papers. Cherry let out a small sigh as her mind drifted a bit that day.

* * *

Soon, the bell rang, and the group was dismissed to their next period classes.

"That class felt rather long." Atticus remarked.

"Yeah, it really did." Thor admitted.

"How do you know?" Atticus smirked. "You were asleep half of the time."

Thor shrugged sheepishly from that.

"That went better than I thought, really." replied Lionel.

"Yeah," Atticus shrugged. "I gotta keep up with my grades. They sorta slipped before Winter Break when my birthday was coming up. Erm... Uh... I guess I was just thinking about something else."

"But Atticus? I thought your grades were slipping because you rebelled against your dad?" Thor spoke up which made Atticus face-palm.

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that." Lionel replied.

"Heh..." Atticus smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I was pretty stupid back then."

"No kidding," Lionel replied. "Drinking, and at your age!"

"Peer pressure, man... It ain't pretty..." Atticus said.

* * *

"Gym class babble, Gym class babble, Gym class babble." Drell spoke to some other students as he came in the hallway.

"Any idea what he's saying?" Lionel asked.

"Probably telling the boys what to expect from class." Atticus replied.

"Makes sense." shrugged Lionel.

"Gym class babble..." Drell continued before looking over to the boys.

"Hi, Uncle!" Thor smiled and waved.

"Hello, Shortstuff." Drell teased.

"Let's just get this over with..." Lionel shrugged as he did some stretches.

Drell stood by with a whistle while the girls were with Ms. Magrooney who was the gym teacher for the girls. Cherry grunted as she looked to weak to do a pull-up.

"Come now," Ms. Magrooney told Cherry. "At least do _one_."

"I... I can't..." Cherry stuttered.

The group winced at that, as Lionel decided to discreetly give her a quick little unnoticeable jolt to give her a brief stint of energy.

"Eek!" Cherry yelped from that.

Ms. Magrooney took out her clipboard and began to write the letter F next to Cherry's name on the sheet. Cherry narrowed her eyes as she felt different and soon began to actually do a pull-up that time.

"Guys, look!" Lionel pointed out, getting their attention.

"Hmm..." Drell hid a small smirk. "Looks like Cherry put that spine into good use."

The other students in the gym soon watched Cherry as she did a few pull-ups as Ms. Magrooney looked a bit shocked as she began to change the F into an A-. The group gave a few cheers for Cherry in response. Cherry then hopped down from the bar, stumbling slightly from the landing, but stood up straight.

"Whoo!" Thor beamed. "Go, Cherry!"

"Atta girl!" Lionel whooped. "That's how we do it in Muskoka!"

"Alright, that was fun," Drell smirked. "Let's get you guys into your teams since it's raining outside." he then blew his whistle.

"Uh...?" Lionel blinked.

"Dodgeball Day." Thor told Lionel.

"Ah..." Lionel nodded.

The boys and girls soon went on opposite sides of the gym as the balls were set up on the line.

"Just don't make us lose or you'll wish you weren't even born." Courtney threatened Cherry.

"Ah, shut up and throw." Lionel replied.

Drell and Ms. Magrooney lined up the boys and girls and blew their whistles to begin the dodgeball game. And so, the students began to throw and duck from balls while Cherry seemed to hide behind some students as she looked scared of getting hit in the face with a ball. While in the midst of dodging and returning throws, Lionel gave Cherry another discreet-zap so that she could easily dodge the balls, and throw a few back, though he had her fumble one or two so nobody got _too _suspicious.

"Something strange is going on with Cherry." Ms. Magrooney said to Drell.

"Yeah... I almost don't know why..." Drell said as he seemed to already know.

"Alright!" Thor whooped. "We're winning!" And he grabbed a few dodgeballs and threw them at the opposing team.

"Hahah! Keep it up, buddy!" Atticus laughed to his teammate.

Cherry came to throw a dodgeball at Thor.

Thor smirked to her as he held his own dodgeball. "Go ahead... Hit me..." he said in a teasing grave voice. "Make my day."

"Go ahead and make his day," Courtney glared. "You think just 'cuz you're suddenly good at Gym that you're worth something."

Cherry soon glared back.

"You're nothing!" Courtney scoffed. "I guess when you win a gym game, it'll be chilly in Hell."

"HEY!" Lionel shouted. "Don't you got anything better to do besides pick on that girl? I guess not, considering how you always single her out! It's pretty pathetic, really!"

Courtney glared at him as she soon beaned her dodgeball right at him. Lionel glared as he seemed to get knocked back, only to reveal that he'd caught the ball.

"Is that out or in?" Ms. Magrooney asked Drell.

"He caught it, so..." Drell replied before doing a "safe" gesture like in a game of baseball.

"Bada-boom! You just got owned!" Lionel whooped as he strutted like a rooster.

Courtney growled as she went to sit down.

"Okay, it's between Thor, Cherry, and 'Pietro'," Ms. Magrooney said. "It looks like the boys have a bigger advantage of winning."

"I believe in you though, Cherry!" Atticus called out.

The other boys on the team soon teased Atticus for doing that like they were boyfriend and girlfriend or something.

"SHUT UP!" Lionel boomed at them.

The other boys looked over from that.

"Thank you, Lionel." Atticus said to himself.

"Alright, time to bring home the gold." Lionel remarked as he cracked his neck.

"Don't let her get in your head, Shorty!" Drell called out to his nephew.

Thor soon threw his ball, but not too hard so he would hurt Cherry. Cherry moved out of the way as she threw her ball next at the boys. Thor rolled out of the way and threw another. This seemed to go on for a while. Thor laughed until he gasped as he got hit by a ball.

"Sorry, Munchkin, but you're out." Drell told his nephew.

"Aw, phooey!" Thor pouted.

"Annnnnd... The winnahs, and new champeens!" Lionel cheered, doing his victory strut.

"That was a pretty good game," Drell said. "I have to admit, I have fun in Gym Class if Cherry isn't crying herself silly. That's just pretty sad."

Ms. Magrooney nodded as Lionel continued his triumphant strut across the floor.

"That's... That's good..." Drell kept his smile, though looked a bit bashful from Lionel's victory dance.

"Oh, yeah! Who's crying now?" Lionel remarked. "That's right, it's you, not me, uh-huh!~"

The whistles were blown again as it was time for the most dreadful part of Gym Class.

* * *

"We gotta do WHAT?!" Lionel asked.

"Shower after Gym." Atticus and Thor replied.

Lionel pinched the bridge of his nose and swore under his breath as he angrily shuffled into the locker room.

"Sorry..." Thor said as he went in after.

"That Pietro boy... Do you know him?" Ms. Magrooney asked Drell. "He seemed... Magical..."

"Uh, yeah," Drell replied. "He's... Pretty special."

"...Whatever..." Lionel sighed. "Let's just get this done. I shower, I shit, and then I split from in here. Should be simple."

"Easy for you to say," Thor replied. "Catch ya later."

Lionel nodded as he got himself ready. The students all showered until their next class.

* * *

Eventually, it was lunchtime and there seemed to be a serving of lumpy food that looked inedible.

"...Glad I brought lunch from home..." Lionel remarked as he took out a sandwich from his bag.

"I feel like half of the time that this food comes from the Biology Lab." Cherry said with a yawn.

"Yeah, or a hazmat tank." Lionel remarked.

Cherry yawned again.

"You okay?" Lionel asked.

"Must be wore out from Gym Class." Cherry replied wearily.

"Hmm... Guess the energy boost wore off," muttered Lionel. "Well, you can have my sandwich."

"Hmm... What kind is it?" Cherry asked.

"Tuna fish." replied Lionel.

"Hmm... I usually only eat my mom's, but I'll try it out," Cherry shrugged as she took the sandwich and ate it. "Mm... Not bad... A lot better than the one that the school serves sometimes."

"Thanks," smiled Lionel. "I made it myself without any magic."

"No offense, my mother's is better, but it's better than I thought it would be." Cherry replied as she ate her lunch.

"Yeah, Moms make pretty good lunches," Thor admitted as he came by. "I'm a whiz with sandwiches though."

"So I've heard..." Cherry said, waving at Sabrina who soon came by.

Sabrina looked at her and seemed to walk away from their table for some reason.

"Jeez, is she embarrassed of us or something?" asked Lionel. "Or does she already know about her aunts treating Cherry as more of a daughter?"

"I didn't wanna say anything, but I pick the latter." Thor said.

"What?" Cherry asked. "No, no... I have a respectful relationship with Hilda and Zelda... It's not like that."

"Maybe you see it like that, and maybe they see you as a daughter." Lionel shrugged.

Cherry rubbed her arm bashfully as she wasn't sure what to think from that.

"Wow, so you have four parental figures now..." Lionel remarked. "...Cool."

"Guess I'm a little luckier than I thought." Cherry shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you are," replied Lionel. "Sometimes a little luck can go a long way. If I didn't know better, I'd say you have a guardian angel looking out for ya."

"Hm..." Cherry shrugged while eating. "Well, I haven't wanted to jump down from the school roof today, so that's a plus."

Lionel sighed in relief. "Good. I already saw that in my nightmares, and I intend to make sure it doesn't happen in real life." he replied.

"...Let's hope that it doesn't this week..." Cherry said a bit shallowly.

"I'm gonna make sure it doesn't happen, this or ANY OTHER WEEK!" Lionel exclaimed. "Even if it kills me!"

"I guess we'll see." Cherry replied.

"Damn straight." Thor chuckled as he ate his homemade sandwich.

"So... Charm School..." Lionel said. "What can I expect from that?"

"Lectures from Mr. Snipe who also teaches mortal Biology about history's warlocks, some spells, potions and brews to create in your very own cauldron..." Cherry listed. "Sometimes broom flight practice in the Gym with Ms. Magrooney... Field trips into the Other Realm with Drell..."

"Oh," Lionel replied. "Well, I'm still not sure about making this a full-time thing. I just wanna make sure you don't get into any trouble with anyone or try offing yourself."

"So... You must be Cherry's little guardian angel." Drell smirked as he came to the table.

The others looked to him with slightly wide eyes, but Thor looked overjoyed.

"Hiya, Uncle!" Thor beamed.

"Hey, Spanky." Drell smirked, ruffling up his hair.

Lionel stifled his chuckle. "...Maybe." he replied calmly.

"I gotta tell you, it was somethin' of ya to help Cherry with Gym," Drell admitted. "Her grade was suffering worse than a porcupine in a balloon factory. You must _rreeeeally_ care about her like Atticus does."

Atticus smiled bashfully from that.

"Kudos to you," Drell told Lionel. "Also, don't think this friendly interaction will give you next week's clue to finding Atticus's parents any quicker."

"Got it." Cherry rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'd love to tell you, but I'm forbidden to," Drell replied. "You guys are pretty close though. Look on the bright side, you still got his sister."

"Whatever..." Lionel rolled his eyes. "I wasn't doing it for the clue. I did it for her," he then cleared his throat. "Cherry, I mean."

"Of course," Drell replied. "Very generous of you..." he then walked off.

"Does anybody else get the creeps from that guy?" Lionel asked.

"Yeah, but he's mostly harmless," Atticus replied. "I guess at least he can help me find my parents... I'm just glad they survived a horrible fate after I was born... I had no idea they were still alive. Up until recently, Cherry's been the only family I've ever had before Clark adopted me."

"Well, hopefully we can get the next clue sometime," Lionel replied. "Maybe then the ones we already have will make more sense."

"That's all I'm hoping for," Atticus said. "This family secret thing is driving me crazy."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't interfere for if the Justice League needs our help and maybe then Sabrina will talk to us again." Cherry replied.

"Perhaps." Lionel replied.

* * *

After lunch, they all sat together outside for a little recreational time until it was time to go back to class.

"Hey, Cherry, wanna come over after school?" A girl with glasses asked Cherry.

"Oh, wow... R-Really, Lauren?" Cherry asked bashfully.

"Yeah, we'll play video games and watch a couple of movies with some pizza." Lauren replied.

"Um... Okay... Cool..." Cherry smiled, a bit hopeful from that. "That sounds great."

Lionel glanced over. "...Pizza, movies and video games, huh? Sounds great." he replied.

"Sorry, but this is just for girls." Lauren said as she walked off.

Cherry looked happy for the first time in months.

"Well... Okay, then..." Lionel shrugged.

"Uh... If Bruce asks... Tell him where I am?" Cherry suggested to Lionel.

"Hmm..." Atticus paused thoughtfully as he felt like he couldn't trust Lauren somehow.

"Right, sure." replied Lionel, making a mental note to turn invisible and follow them.

Cherry looked quite happy about having a girl's day. Atticus tried to look happy for her, but he couldn't fight his instincts.

* * *

Eventually, the school day ended, so Cherry went to go home with Lauren.

"Don't tell me; you're gonna go with Cherry to make sure Lauren keeps her promise, aren'tcha?" Atticus guessed like a professional detective.

"You catch on quick," replied Lionel. "That way, if anything happens, I can intervene and make sure Cherry comes out unscathed." And so, he turned himself invisible and snuck behind Cherry and Lauren as they went to her house.

"Alright," Atticus said. "I'm gonna go home with Thor. If you need back-up, call us."

"You have our numbers from last period." Thor added.

The boys saluted each other as Cherry went with Lauren to a car as the other girl's mother came to pick them up. Unbeknownst to them, Lionel climbed onto the back of the car and clung tightly like one of those Garfield dolls with the suction cups on the paws.

* * *

It seemed to be a normal trip back home so far. It also seemed like so far that Lauren lived up to her promise as she and Cherry played Mario Kart for a while. Lionel stayed put and quiet as he watched the two so far. Suddenly, Lauren got a text which made her gasp.

"So, when are we gonna get that pizza?" Cherry asked. "I'm starved. All I ate was a tuna sandwich for lunch."

"Oh... Cherry... I'm sorry, but you have to go home now," Lauren replied. "Samantha's ballet class ended early, so she's coming over and I can't be seen with you because you're unpopular."

Cherry felt stung on the inside.

"When do you girls want that pizza?" Lauren's mother smiled.

"Actually, Mom, Cherry has to go home right now," Lauren replied. "Right, Cherry?"

"Oh... Yeah... Sure..." Cherry said, feeling very hurt. "I suddenly don't feel so good... Excuse me, Mrs. Acri..."

Lionel glanced inside, and glared angrily, as his eyes glowed red with hate. Cherry went to use the bathroom before she took out her phone as she soon cried inside.

"Could we still have that pizza, Mom?" Lauren asked.

"Sure, I'll order it and pick it up." Mrs. Acri smiled obliviously.

"Cool." Lauren smirked.

Lionel was so angry that his camouflage vanished. "Why, that miserable little slug!" he snarled. "Speaking of slugs, that just gave me an idea of what to put on her pizza..." he smirked evilly. And so, he snapped his fingers, disguising himself as the pizza delivery guy, waiting a few seconds, and then ringing the doorbell. Luckily he remembered to zap up a pizza to hold to really sell the idea he was a pizza delivery guy.

"Samantha?" Lauren called as she got the door. "Oh. The pizza."

"I got a delivery to... This address." replied Lionel, holding up the pizza box.

"Uh, alright... Come in," Lauren said as she took the box. "How much?"

"Hmm... That'll be eight bucks." Lionel replied.

"You take credit cards?" Lauren asked.

Lionel glanced at her, waiting to see what she would do from that.

Lauren took out a wallet that had a card in it and decided to pay with it, though obviously her name wasn't on it. "Here you go." she then said, innocently, though due to her toxic friend status, it looked rather obnoxious.

Lionel held up a card-scanner he'd made, which seemed to suck the card dry like a vampire. "Thanks, enjoy your pizza," he replied as he handed it back, then walked off, only to teleport to Cherry's location. "...Cherry? You here?" he asked, changing back to normal form.

* * *

Cherry didn't answer as she sat on the toilet, but wasn't using it as she bowed her head with her eyes shut.

Lionel looked on sadly. "...I'm sorry that this happened." he continued, before he twitched his nose, and a high-pitched shriek of terror was heard from outside.

Cherry didn't even react.

"Come on, let's go home..." Lionel said as he took a hold of her and poofed away with her while Lauren suffered from karma for being such a shit friend. Long story short, her house was now under attack from giant slug monsters.

Soon after, Lionel and Cherry returned to Wayne Manor.


	11. Chapter 11

"...I should've done something; I could've stopped this..." Lionel sighed. "I was on the ball, but I fumbled it when I let you go with her."

"No, I should've seen it coming," Cherry said shallowly. "She's done this before. We can hang out as long as Samantha doesn't find out about it. The same whenever Breanna comes over too."

"Then... Then maybe she doesn't deserve you, if she's just gonna up and ditch you just to save her precious popularity," replied Lionel. "You deserve real friends... Ones who stick by you, no matter what. Saaaaay... Don't you have three of those already?"

"Yeah... I suppose I do..." Cherry said softly. "Besides Atticus of course."

"Sure!" Lionel replied. "You also got Thor, and Mo, and me too. Although I reckon I learned a thing or two."

"Could you excuse me a sec?" Cherry asked.

Lionel let her go, but kept a close eye on her to make sure it wasn't self-harm. Cherry went to get a glass of water to calm herself down with.

Lionel gently patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay." he said calmly.

Cherry felt her phone buzz before taking it out to see a text from Atticus.

**_"Hey. I know this might seem strange, but you feel like you might need some friendly company. Milkshakes? - Atticus"._**

"How does he do that?" Cherry mumbled slightly.

"He was suspicious of your alleged friend, as was I," Lionel replied. "So naturally, you'd be in need of some cheering up."

"So... Should we go meet up at the milkshake shop?" Cherry asked.

"Sounds like a plan." Lionel replied as he went to get his sneakers, whistling the Fat Albert theme song.

"Batman and Catwoman sure do seem busy a lot together," Cherry smirked slightly. "I almost feel like they forgot about Lady Gothika and Bat-Mite."

"Maybe," replied Lionel. "But I guess they have their storyline, as we have ours." he cleared his throat. "We'll have some milkshakes, with Thor and the gang, Hanging with each other, as we do our thang~"

Cherry shrugged as she sent a "Yes" response to Atticus's text. Lionel hummed the rest of the song as he waited for Cherry. Cherry grabbed her jacket to go out with him to meet the others for milkshakes. And so, the both of them headed out to meet up with the others.

So, where exactly _is_ the place?" Lionel asked.

"Come on, I'll lead the way," Cherry said. "I usually go there on the way to Bruce if I walk over before Alfred picks me up if I'm at home."

For a while, the two walked off before they came downtown at the milkshake shop.

* * *

As they got to the door, Cherry opened it which made a ringing sound.

"So, how was Lauren?" Atticus asked a bit flatly.

"Samantha had a dance class that ended early." Cherry bowed her head softly.

"Samantha, Samantha, Samantha..." Atticus rolled his eyes. "She thinks she's _soooo_ special because her father owns the neighborhood that she, Breanna, and Lauren live in."

"CRIMINY, what a BITCH!" Lionel replied. "Well, Lauren's house is gonna be in disrepair for quite some time."

"What did you do?" Atticus asked knowingly.

"Well, if Lauren and her friends show up screaming about giant slug creatures..." Lionel chuckled. "You'll know who was responsible for that."

"I'll make a note of that." Atticus smirked.

"Serves 'em right," Thor huffed. "I'm sorry your after school plans got crapped on, Cherry."

"That's okay," Cherry replied. "I guess I should be thankful that Lionel was there to help me out."

Lionel gave a curt nod at that.

"The usual?" A server asked Cherry.

"Yes, please." Cherry replied.

"Alright," The server said before facing Lionel. "And how about you?"

Lionel pondered for a few seconds. "...I guess a chocolate shake would be cool." he replied.

The server nodded, going off to carry out their milkshake orders.

"You'll love it," Thor smiled at Lionel. "You've had milkshakes before, right?"

"...Once again, that'd be a no." Lionel replied.

"Oh... Bummer... Well, uh, now you can!" Thor smiled.

"Yep," Lionel nodded. "So that should be pretty fun!"

"So, how's Batman?" Atticus asked.

"Getting real busy with Catwoman," Cherry smirked. "Something tells me I'm gonna have a new baby sibling and/or cousin sometime soon."

"...Man, I'm gonna see so many new experiences for the first time..." Lionel sighed. "This is all just, so cool, you know?"

"I'm sure it can be sometimes," Atticus smiled. "It's a whole new learning experience. Like being a foreign exchange student."

Lionel chuckled lightly. "...Yep."

* * *

Eventually, Cherry and Lionel were given their milkshakes so that they could join in on the private party. Sabrina came by with a glance at Cherry and looked away from her. Cherry glared from that, but tried not to let it bother her.

"What is going on between you two?" Atticus asked his oldest friend.

"I don't know and I don't care," Cherry replied. "If _Smellman_ doesn't wanna be my friend anymore, it's no skin off my nose."

Lionel sighed as he drank his milkshake. "And here I thought we were gettin' along so well..." he remarked.

"We could at least go over some other day and see just what's got her feathers so ruffled." suggested Mo.

"Yeah," Atticus replied. "I'm sure we could all solve this mystery."

"Is it always a mystery with you?" Thor smirked.

"Yeah, well, I wanna be a detective superhero someday," Atticus smirked back. "What do YOU wanna be when you grow up?"

"Hmm... I dunno..." Thor shrugged. "Maybe be a stay-at-home dad so that way I never miss a football game because of work."

"Cool," Lionel replied. "Anyone else...?"

"I dunno," Mo smiled. "Possibly a vetenarian. I just love animals."

"I guess that suits you," Lionel shrugged. "Me? I dunno, really. I assumed I'd be stuck doing the whole cape-and-cowl gig for good, but it gets so dull after a while."

"Well, you have time to decide," Atticus replied. "Just look for something you like."

Lionel nodded. "Solid advice; I'll try to remember," he replied. "And... Et tu, Cherry?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Cherry asked as she seemed to doze off briefly in a daydream.

"We were discussing what we wanted to do when we became adults," replied Lionel. "I couldn't think of anything since I figured this whole cape-and-cowl stuff would be a lifetime commitment, so I decided to let you say yours."

"Oh... Sorry..." Cherry said before shrugging. "I guess I'd try to sell some stories and poems I write in my spare time."

"So, like a writer?" Lionel replied. "Alright, that's great! Fits like a glove!"

"If my work was any good of course." Cherry shrugged.

"Well, you've got the first part of being a good writer down pat," Lionel remarked. "Always be humble!"

"I've thought of publishing publically, but I'm not sure sometimes," Cherry shrugged. "I'm working on a pen name."

"What does that mean exactly?" Thor asked.

"It's an alias that many writers use to hide their true name," Cherry replied. "A lot of authors do it, like JK Rowling or Lemony Snicket."

"Okay, that's pretty neat," Lionel replied. "Maybe we could come and read some of your stuff, see what we're dealin' with."

Cherry looked bashful about sharing her stories like that.

"Merely an idea," replied Lionel. "You don't have to if you don't wanna."

"Maybe some other time," Cherry suggested. "It's a little complicated right now."

"Well, we can wait!" Thor beamed.

"Yeah, I guess we can think about that later," Lionel replied as he finished his shake. "...This... Is really quite delicious..."

"They taste a whole lot better with some friends if you feel a bit depressed." Mo smiled.

"Tell me about it." Atticus happily agreed.

"On the bright side, I have at least an inkling of an idea about what I want to do with my life." Lionel replied.

"Yeah, there you go," Thor smiled. "I'm still thinking myself, but I'm pretty set on maybe being a stay-at-home dad..." he then sighed hopefully. "If I can find my very own Mrs. Right... You sure about Lionel, Cherry?"

"Yes, Thor, I'm sorry," Cherry told him. "You seem like a nice boy, but I don't think it'd work out between us."

"Okay... I won't make ya..." Thor replied. "It was worth a shot."

"Anyways..." replied Lionel. "I think I'd be into voice-acting... Or drawing... Or writing cartoon scripts."

"You do cartoon voices?" Thor asked as he mashed his milkshake a bit with his straw as he saw chunks in his shake.

"Well, I taught myself how to in my downtime before I started going to school." Lionel replied.

"Sweet!" Thor laughed. "You're like the funny dad on _Full House_!"

"That's an _uncle_, buddy." Atticus replied.

"Oh... Okay..." Thor shrugged. "But still!"

"Who, Dave Coulier?" Lionel asked. "Nah. He replaced Lorenzo Music in the Ghostbusters cartoon, and he was lousy at it! If anything, I'm more like Mel Blanc!"

Thor looked puzzled.

"Bugs Bunny." Cherry told him.

"Oh! Right!" Thor chuckled. "He's a good one."

"My point exactly," replied Lionel. "So... What do we do now?"

"I'm waiting until Cherry's good to go after this milkshake date," Atticus said. "As her friend, I'm going to make sure that she'll be okay for the rest of the night so I don't find her wandering the streets. You okay, Cherry?"

"Yeah, I think so." Cherry replied.

"Maybe you and Bruce and Selina could do something together," Atticus smiled. "You'll feel like a family like me with Clark, Diana, and Jessica."

"I guess we could try that." Cherry shrugged.

"Alright! Family event, sounds like fun!" Lionel replied.

"If those two aren't too busy having adult naptime." Cherry smirked slightly.

"Still, it'll be cool to be part of a family event, since it'd be my first." Lionel replied.

"It'll be fun." Atticus beamed.

Cherry showed a small smile as she finished her milkshake and soon left with the others.

"All right, buddy, you really cheered her up." Atticus congratulated himself happily.

"Don't take _all _the credit," Lionel replied. "I helped too!"

"We all helped," Thor smirked. "I was here too."

The others chuckled a bit.

"We're all good friends," Mo smiled. "Way better than Breanna Varner, Lauren Acri, and Samantha Sunday."

"No doubt about that..." Lionel agreed.

"We'll see you later on." Cherry said to the others.

"See ya," Atticus smiled. "Have a little family time with Bruce and Selina will you can."

"I think I shall." Cherry replied.

"Aw, this is gonna be great!" Lionel gushed.

"I really hope so," Cherry replied. "I wonder what Bruce would have in mind for a family day anyway."

"I'm not sure if he'd really _know _how to have one..." Lionel replied. "...Then again, I'm one to talk."

Cherry looked a bit bashful from her choice of words.

* * *

They soon came back to Wayne Manor as it almost seemed empty.

"Hello?" Cherry called as she came in through the door, though there was a bit of an echo.

"Anybody hoooome?" Lionel added, his voice reverberating through the halls.

"Hey, guys." Dick said to them as he was putting his Nightwing outfit together.

"Evening, Richard," Lionel replied. "What's up?"

"I'm about to go out on patrol for the night." Dick informed.

"Oh... Cool..." Cherry said. "Uh... You wouldn't have happened to see Bruce anywhere, have you?" she then asked, a bit eagerly and hopeful.

"Guess he's still out," Dick replied. "He and Selina had quite a busy morning before he went off with Commissioner Gordon."

"Darn," Lionel replied. "Looks like we missed 'em."

"Yeah... I guess..." Cherry said as she slightly slumped down.

Dick soon came to the Bat Cave, but the two followed after him anyway.

* * *

"Going on patrol, Alfred," Dick said to the butler. "Can you man the comms?"

"Of course, Master Dick." Alfred replied.

"Well, I'm not sitting around doing nothing," Selina stated in her Catwoman outfit. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Hop in, but I'm driving." Dick smirked.

"Kitten, are you alright?" Selina asked before they would leave.

"Oh... It's okay..." Cherry said softly. "I just thought maybe we could spend some family time together... I-I'll just go to my room now."

"H-Hey, wait up!" Lionel called as he followed behind.

"Oh... Kitten..." Selina frowned softly.

"It's okay... You guys are busy... I understand..." Cherry said like she was trying to hold back some tears.

Lionel sighed. "...She was hoping to spend a family day with you and Bruce..." he replied. "But since he's not here, and you're headed out... Well..."

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Selina said. "Hmm... What if Lady Gothika and Bat-Mite join Catwoman and Nightwing out on patrol, huh?"

Cherry glanced over before shrugging. "I guess."

"...Well... Alright," Lionel replied. "Better than nothing, I suppose."

Selina smiled hopefully at them as she decided to go with Dick for that time.

And so, once suited up, they sped off down the road together.

"So, you guys used to do this every night?" Catwoman asked Nightwing.

"Pretty much," Nightwing replied. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask."

"How _is_ it dating the man who is Batman?"

"It's weird..." Catwoman told him with a shrug. "Complicated. Incredible. The only drawback is he just won't shut up about his feelings."

Nightwing chuckled from that. "Good one."

"I thought girls liked it when guys talked about their feelings..." Lady Gothika shrugged. "I know my mother misses it when my dad was like that before he started drinking... I feel like he might be running out of time with life... But then... What'll happen to me if he's gone and my mother's gone?" she then glanced out the window, a bit sadly. "Where am I going to go?"

Bat-Mite sniffled as tears came to his eyes. Catwoman cooed as she brought Lady Gothika into a hug as her niece seemed very upset about her home life right now. Lady Gothika nuzzled up against him as she looked very emotional right now.

"I'd love to help you out... In fact, I will somehow." Catwoman promised.

Lady Gothika wiped her eyes as she sat closeby her aunt.

"Y-Yeah!" Bat-Mite sobbed. "And I'll help too!"

**_"71 Charlie. Report of a person breaking the lock on the Gotham Cemetery gate,"_ **A police dispatcher reported. **_"Suspect believed to be inside the grounds."_**

"Maybe put that on hold..." replied Nightwing. "We got work to do."

Lady Gothika wiped her eyes as she sat quietly for the rest of the ride.

* * *

A full moon lit up the dark night as they came up to the cemetery gate and a wolf howl was heard as they pulled into the gate. They soon came out into the cemetery to explore with many tombstones that surrounded them.

"It's like Halloween," Catwoman observed. "Everything but the Great Pumpkin."

"I used to watch that every year with my parents." Lady Gothika sighed to herself.

"...Yet another thing you'll have to fill me in on." Bat-Mite replied as he wiped his eyes and blew his nose.

"I'll get on that." Lady Gothika replied.

"Guys, over here." Nightwing called out as he stood by one grave.

They soon walked over to see a turned over dark blue fabric on the tombstone with an open grave.

"Eugh." Lady Gothika and Bat-Mite grimaced from the disgusting implications.

"Wait, I've been here before," Catwoman said as she removed the fabric. "So have you."

The tombstone soon read "HERE LIES THOMAS ELLIOT".

"But why would someone-" Catwoman was about to ask until she saw someone coming right behind them for a surprise attack. "Nightwing!"

"BARRIKADO!" Bat-Mite shouted, casting a shield behind Nightwing, blocking whoever attacked him.

A bad guy soon showed up who was Scarecrow as he came to fight and attack. Lady Gothika did her best to keep up with the fighting from her recent training.

"Look out, he's got a scythe!" Nightwing warned Lady Gothika.

"Thanks for the tip!" Lady Gothika replied as she ducked out of the way as Scarecrow nearly sliced her, but missed as it hit a tombstone, splitting it apart.

"I got him!" Bat-Mite exclaimed, vaporizing his scythe and trapping him in an energy bubble.

Scarecrow glared as he attempted to break out of the bubble.

"I guess we won by a hair." Lady Gothika said as she saw that she had some hair cut off from Scarecrow's scythe narrowly missing her.

"Ooh, I dig that new 'do," Bat-Mite replied. "Looks... Cute on ya. You needed a trim anyways."

"You think so?" Lady Gothika asked bashfully.

"I KNOW so," Bat-Mite replied. "If it was a different situation and we were a couple years older, I'd get down on one knee and propose."

Lady Gothika hid a small smirk from that.

"He likes you." Catwoman smiled at her niece.

"Uh, I can kinda see that." Lady Gothika replied.

Bat-Mite nodded. "That's why I made a solemn promise."

Scarecrow muffled a bit.

"What's he saying?" Nightwing wondered.

"Probably something like 'Damn you, Bat Family'." Lady Gothika guessed.

"The usual sore loser crap," Bat-Mite shrugged. "It all sounds the same after a while."

"Boy, tell me about it..." Lady Gothika replied.

"Well, Kitten, I'm glad you got to come out." Catwoman said.

"Yeah... Actually feels pretty nice." Lady Gothika had to admit.

"Yeah!" Bat-Mite flapped his wings.

"I'm glad you got to have some fun." Catwoman smiled at her niece.

"Yeah, same here," Nightwing added. "No offense, but you were really bringing the gloom in Gotham."

"Heh. Don't worry about it." Lady Gothika replied.

"Kinda feels like a family affair already..." smiled Bat-Mite.

"I'm sure even closer pretty soon." Catwoman whispered slyly with a wink.

"Does that mean what I think it means...?" Bat-Mite asked hopefully.

"Well, we don't know anything yet for sure, but cross your fingers." Catwoman replied.

"Can-do!" Bat-Mite replied, crossing his fingers...and toes.

Catwoman giggled a bit from that.

"Sorry, Scarecrow," Lady Gothika said. "I won't miss you at all, Scarecrow."

Bat-Mite twitched his nose, and Scarecrow was teleported back to Arkham Asylum once again. "And that ends that!" he proclaimed triumphantly, dusting his hands off.

They soon came back to the Batmobile after another job well done.

"Does tonight have to end so soon?" Lady Gothika asked.

"Hmm... Would you like a special treat?" Catwoman replied.

"Maybe..." Lady Gothika smiled bashfully.

"All right, I'll meet you there... I think I dropped my whip." Catwoman replied.

Lady Gothika, Nightwing, and Bat-Mite came to the car as she walked back to the graveyard briefly.

"I wonder what it could be..." Bat-Mite replied as they got inside.

"Pardon?" Lady Gothika asked.

"The treat," replied Bat-Mite. "I wonder what it could be?"

"Maybe we'll get some chocolate frosted milkshakes." Nightwing smirked playfully.

"...That would be nice." Bat-Mite replied calmly.

Nightwing chuckled a bit. "Yeah, it would."

Lady Gothika pulled down her hood a bit to adjust her hair as it was frizzed up a bit.

* * *

"What's taking her so long?" Nightwing asked Catwoman seemed to take a while to get her whip back.

"We should go check on her," Bat-Mite suggested. "Something could be happening to her."

"All right, just a sec," Lady Gothika said. "My hair's a bit frizzed up. Must be the humidity."

"Girls." Nightwing mumbled.

"Nyah." Lady Gothika stuck her tongue out as she slicked down her hair before putting her hood back up to go back with Bat-Mite just in case as her aunt seemed to be gone for a while.

"Hey, Catwoman!" Bat-Mite called out. "Where are ya? Yoo-hoo!"

"Where'd she go?" Lady Gothika frowned.

Someone soon ran up behind them, punching them and knocking them out instantly.

"Ugh... That hurt..." Bat-Mite grunted, rubbing his skull.

The person soon grabbed them to take them away... Along with Catwoman while Nightwing was on his own.

"Where _are _they...?" he muttered to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

The three groaned as they woke up somewhere else.

"Bat-Mite...?" Lady Gothika mumbled.

"I'm here, but I got a heck of a headache." Bat-Mite told her.

"Huh? Where are we?" Lady Gothika asked wearily.

"That's an excellent question," replied Bat-Mite. "Too bad I don't have a good answer. I'm just as confused as YOU are."

"Ugh... My head hurts again..." Lady Gothika groaned in defeat.

Catwoman sat up before glaring as they had company. She tried to get up and go to the stranger, only to be held back by some chains that were wrapped around her waist.

"Okay... Who's _this _jerk?" asked Bat-Mite. "And furthermore, what's the deal bringing us HERE?"

"Now, now," The villain smirked as he took out a remote control. "Wouldn't wanna make it too easy."

After the button was pushed, the three were scooped up with a giant claw with some junk to pick them up and carry them away.

"Okay, what is this guy's deal?" Bat-Mite asked as he slipped his arms free from his shackles. "Now to free the others."

Lady Gothika grunted to get free with Catwoman as they both weren't as lucky as he was.

"I'm gonna getcha." Bat-Mite reassured them.

"Hurry!" Lady Gothika cried out.

Bat-Mite then degraded their shackles into tinfoil, which allowed both Lady Gothika and Catwoman to effortlessly break free.

"Eugh!" Lady Gothika winced.

"You okay?" Bat-Mite asked.

"Small cut." Lady Gothika pouted as her wrist got cut a bit from the tin foil.

Bat-Mite then helped her out with that with a smile.

"Well... Well..." The villain's voice chuckled. "How clever are we?"

"More clever than you," Bat-Mite remarked. "Now what's your deal?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The villain replied.

"Yes, we would." Lady Gothika glared a bit.

The villain laughed as he threw off his bandages to show his face as Catwoman gasped from that and he seemed to have a giant question mark on his forehead. "Ah, admiring my beauty mark?" he then smirked darkly. "The damage to you may be more severe."

"Batman will find you." Catwoman glared darkly.

"He always gets his man or woman." Bat-Mite added.

"Of course he will," Hush smirked. "Within seconds, he'll have dissembled the device I used to turn Clayface into my doppelganger. He'll then know the effective range is ten miles, and search that radius. Which means, we better get started."

"Good luck with what's happened just now." Lady Gothika replied firmly.

"Yeah," Bat-Mite added. "Since we just escaped."

"Maybe you were clever that time, but maybe not too much next time." Hush smirked.

"Whatcha gonna do?" Lady Gothika glared.

"Maybe I won't tell _you_, Baby Bat... You get stomach aches from anxiety and stress." Hush taunted.

Lady Gothika looked soft and a little sick to her stomach from that.

"...Jeez, this guy is some kinda creep," Bat-Mite remarked. "How could _he _know _that_?"

"He's getting into her head," Catwoman said in concern. "Kitten, don't listen to him!"

Lady Gothika groaned a bit as she felt manipulated.

"Yeah!" Bat-Mite added. "Tune him out and kick his miserable butt!"

Lady Gothika just groaned as she felt tormented.

"How did you even know about her anxiety?" Bat-Mite glared at Hush.

"I might've had someone tell me." Hush chuckled darkly.

"Well, news flash, nobody's gonna be telling _you _anything ever again!" Bat-Mite retorted as he conjured an enormous boulder and threw it.

Hush took that time to dodge from the boulder while he could. Lady Gothika felt a bit too overwhelmed as she let out a hoarse sound before collapsing.

"Kitten!" Catwoman gasped as she tried to hold onto her niece who was now deathly pale and had sweat beading down her face as she soon blacked out.

"Shit!" Bat-Mite swore. "We need to get her out of here! She needs medical attention, tout de suite!"

"I hope you're proud of yourself." Catwoman glared at Hush.

"Aww... And I thought you'd all like to wait for Batman." Hush smirked.

"Bastard..." Bat-Mite scowled before he snapped his fingers and teleported them out.

* * *

Cherry didn't respond for a while as they were in a hospital in their normal clothes.

"We're not sure what causes these seizures, but I feel like it might have to do with the anxiety of being bullied in school and her parents' constant arguments." Selina said to Lionel.

"Well... We need to do something to put a stop to both factors," replied Lionel. "For I fear that one of these days, they could be fatal."

"Yes," Selina nodded from that. "I may be her aunt, but I'm pretty motherly to my niece. I should probably admit her in here, she usually wakes up in under five minutes. I guess she felt a lot of pressure from Hush."

"I don't blame her, the guy is a creep," replied Lionel. "Maybe we ought to get her home."

"All right, but if she's not well by the next day, we get a doctor or at least have someone check her out while we can," Selina said to him. "She looks pretty bad right now."

Lionel nodded, and with a twitch of his nose, they were all back in Wayne Manor.

Cherry didn't seem to respond for a while. Selina took Cherry right into her bed to tuck her in as the perky goth seemed to be blacked out from the stress earlier.

Lionel kissed her hand. "Sleep well... And may you recover." he whispered before he left the room.

Selina left the room with Lionel as Cherry got some rest. And so, the night gave way to another morning.

"I didn't hear you two come in last night." Alfred said to Selina and Lionel.

"Cherry... Suddenly passed out last night." Lionel replied.

"Oh... Heavens!" Alfred gasped.

"Hopefully she wakes up later," Selina said softly. "I'm very worried about her."

"Surely her parents are too." Alfred assumed.

"I doubt they even know..." Selina mumbled to herself.

"Considering how they've been lately?" asked Lionel. "I doubt it. If anything, Cherry would be better off living with Selina."

Selina had to agree.

"You don't seem close with your... Sister?" Alfred asked the woman.

"We've always been pretty distant," Selina replied softly. "I wasn't invited to the wedding, though I snuck around the hospital Cherry was born in, then I saw her before she was brought home to her parents. I could tell that she would feel happy to know about Auntie Selina somehow, so I left gifts in secret, especially at Christmastime when I played 'Santa Claus' for her."

Lionel beamed. "D'awww... That is so sweet." he said.

"I've always felt attached to her," Selina smiled softly. "She is my kitten after all."

* * *

Alfred soon cooked them breakfast, even fried potatoes and bacon to help lure Cherry down out of bed, but that didn't even seem to work as he served the two their breakfast.

"I'll go up and check on her," Lionel suggested. "Hopefully her condition has improved since last night."

"I do hope so." Selina agreed.

Cherry was shown to be lying straight down in her bed with her eyes shut as she seemed unresponsive.

Lionel came inside. "Morning, Cherry," he said. "Figured I ought to check up on you, see how you're doing." He felt her neck for a pulse.

Luckily, Cherry was still alive, but she didn't seem to be awake, but not asleep either.

"Still out cold..." Lionel sighed. "But alive, though. Guess we're gonna hafta get her to the hospital."

* * *

After breakfast, they came straight to the hospital. Atticus, Mo, and Thor decided to come over too with their concern.

"You guys came too?" Lionel asked.

"Miss Kyle called us." Mo replied.

"Good on her," Lionel sighed. "Honestly, I hope this isn't fatal. If something happened to her..." Tears began to run down his face as he trailed off.

Mo frowned softly as Atticus felt the same way.

"Come here." Thor told Lionel as he pointed to the floor in front of him.

Lionel walked over to Thor, a bit confused. Thor bent down to pick up Lionel like a doll and squeezed him into a hug. Lionel grunted lightly, but was more than happy to return the hug with one of his own.

"Kyle?" The nurse called.

"I'm sorry, I have to take her in, but I'll be sure to let you guys in if you're allowed to visit." Selina told the others as she carried Cherry's wheelchair handlebars as she was still knocked out cold.

Everyone nodded at this as Cherry was wheeled inside. And so, the time seemed to drag by, ever-so-slowly.

"Waiting is the worst part." Mo sighed as she read a magazine to pass the time.

"Tell me about it." Atticus agreed.

"I hate this feeling of anticipation and tension," Lionel groused. "Just makes me so... Livid! I can't stand waiting to know what will happen next!"

"Hopefully she's not terribly sick..." Thor said. "It can't be... Cancer, right?"

"Thor, I doubt Cherry has cancer..." Atticus replied. "Let's just try to keep calm."

A few minutes felt like hours as the group waited for a very, very long time as Selina came out as she was told to wait out in the waiting room with them.

* * *

Eventually, the doctor came back out to see the group.

"Dr. West, thank goodness." Selina said to the man.

"Hello, there, you must be Cherry's, uh, family." Dr. West greeted softly.

"You could say that," replied Selina.

"How is she, Doc?" asked Lionel. "Give it to us straight. Is it bad?"

"It looks a bit bad," Dr. West replied. "Cherry seems to be in a stress-induced coma. This seizure she had that gave her a fainting spell lasted much longer than it should have."

"A coma...?" Atticus gasped with horror.

"Yes, it's hard to say when she'll wake up, but you're all welcome to visit her as much as you possibly can," Dr. West stated. "I guess she was horribly traumatized by something to put her in such critical condition."

Lionel bowed his head as he clenched his fists.

"Can we see her right now?" Thor asked.

"Of course." Dr West allowed.

Cherry was shown to be in a hospital bed with her glasses off as she seemed to breathe shallowly.

"...I can't... I can't do this!" Lionel exclaimed as he turned and ran off, crying.

"Lionel!" The others cried out with concern.

Lionel passed many doctors and nurses as he looked very upset, but honestly, in a situation like this, who could blame him?

* * *

"Damn it! Goddamn it all!" Lionel swore under his breath as he ran out of the hospital. "If there _was _any justice in this world... My favorite girl wouldn't be in a coma, and there wouldn't be some wacko running around, wreaking havoc! But there isn't... So here we are."

The sky seemed to turn gray as he looked very miserable. A woman walked by as she held her umbrella as it started to rain before she spotted him. Lionel grunted as the raindrops seemed to pelt his head, but he barely even noticed. With everything going on, it was as though it barely fazed him.

"Lionel, are you okay?" The woman asked as she came to see him. It was Zelda.

"Sure..." Lionel remarked sarcastically. "Everything's just peachy. The girl I love is in a coma, and I feel like I can't do ANYTHING about it."

"Oh, dear..." Zelda frowned. "Cherry's in a coma?"

Lionel sighed with a low nod.

"The best you can do is stay by her side until she wakes up," Zelda replied. "I'm sure she'll be good again someday soon."

"Somehow... I don't think so," replied Lionel. "I can't just sit around and do nothing."

"I'm sorry, dear, I'm not sure what I could do to help," Zelda told him. "You shouldn't be out here in the cold though. Maybe you should visit Hilda's coffeehouse so you don't get sick."

"Thanks..." Lionel replied. "I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I'll visit Cherry later."

"I'm very sorry about what happened," Zelda coaxed. "Here's wishing that she wakes up very soon."

Lionel nodded. "Thank you, Miss Spellman. Your concern is greatly appreciated."

* * *

And so, true to his word, Lionel went to visit Cherry by himself that evening. Cherry didn't answer him as she lay where she was.

"Here, have some music," Lionel smiled as he played her favorite music while he sat by her bed. "Even though you're unconscious, you still look beautiful... I just wish I could get you to wake up."

"How cute..." The nurse remarked as she walked off to give the two some privacy.

Lionel sighed as he sat by her bed.

"Honestly, Cherry... We're all hoping you can recover," he said. "I just wish there was something... ANYTHING... That I could do to help. If there _was_... I'd do it in a hurry."

"I wish you could help too..." A shallow voice replied to him.

Lionel perked his head up. "What was that? Who's speaking to me...?" he asked, his eyes darting around.

No one else seemed to be there as the nurse left the two alone.

"Great, Lionel, you're hearing things..." Lionel grumbled to himself.

"Help me, Lionel..." The voice said. "You're my only hope... Please..."

"Seriously, who is this?!" Lionel asked. "I'm either going insane, or someone's playing a very unfunny joke on me!"

"Lionel, it's me..." The voice said.

Lionel looked to the knocked out Cherry. "...No... It can't be..." he said.

"But it is..." Cherry's voice told him. "I'm trying to communicate with you... It must be like the magic that Hilda and Zelda told me about..."

"You know about magic from them?" Lionel asked.

"I found out from them that I come from a dynasty of witches as strange as it must sound, so while I would sometimes go after school for piano lessons, I was actually studying magic in case of times of emergency," Cherry's voice told him. "They also told me that I could share a special telepathic link to the one I feel the most close to. Even more close than with Atticus."

Lionel blinked in surprise. "...Well... Color me honored..." he remarked. "Okay... So what exactly can I do to help?"

"Take my hand as strong as you can without hurting me and take some deep breaths." Cherry's voice told him.

"O-Okay..." Lionel replied, a bit shaky. He reached out and clasped Cherry's hand, then began taking deep breaths. At his final breath, his eyes widened a bit before they glowed and he seemed to get knocked out.

* * *

Lionel's eyes opened as he found himself in some sort of dark and spooky looking plain of existence and took a walk around. There was the light growling of a tiger heard as he wandered through.

"Turn back..." A high, timid voice called softly.

Lionel glanced around, curious at where the voice had come from. "Who said that?" he asked.

"Turn back..." A voice said, showing to come from a bird with two others who repeated the same things. "Turn back... Turn back..."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." replied Lionel in an impression of HAL 9000. With a tip of his imaginary hat, he continued on his path.

A white tiger with purple stripes snarled as it jumped out in his path. Lionel stepped back a bit at first. The tiger came towards Lionel and sniffed him a bit before it stepped back and lowered itself as it seemed to trust him now.

"...Kimba..." Lionel murmured to himself as he continued walking. "I know I should go, but how will I know that I've arrived?"

Cherry's giggle was heard, but she looked different and a bit too cheerful, even if she was a perky goth and seemed to wear a pink hoodie instead of her trademark black.

Lionel did a double-take, his eyeballs nearly popped out of his head, and his jaw hit the ground. "...CHERRY?!" he exclaimed, in disbelief. "...Is that you?!"

"Maybe..." Pink Cherry giggled cutely. "If you wanna go out, you could go out the Forbidden Door, it's the only way... But... Not yet."

Lionel blinked. "Okay... Why not yet?" he asked.

"Trust me... But I can take you there!" Pink Cherry giggled as she came to climb on Kimba's back. "Hi-Ho, Kimba, awaaaay!"

Kimba soon walked off with her on his back that made Lionel follow after. Pink Cherry seemed to disappear as he came into a cheerful-looking world that looked like something out of My Little Pony until a gray-hooded Cherry was shown who looked very scared and worried.

"Um... Cherry?" asked Lionel to the gray-clad one. "It's me... Lionel."

Gray Cherry looked at him with a bit of a whimper as she looked very upset.

"H-Hey... It's fine," Lionel advised. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear."

Gray Cherry looked a bit scared.

"This represents her timidness," Kimba spoke to Lionel. "That Cherry from before is her happiness."

"What are they doing?" Lionel asked.

"They are trying to help you deep into Cherry's subconscious to find her," Kimba explained. "They are her Emoticlones. They are physical manifestations of Cherry's emotions that reside within her mindscape. The same thing happens to Raven from the Teen Titans sometimes."

"Ohhhh," replied Lionel. "Pretty clever." he turned back to Timid Cherry. "I need your help. I can't do this without you... Please."

"...Okay... I guess I can try to help you..." The scared representation of Cherry replied. "Just remember that there are others..."

Lionel nodded firmly. "I'll be sure to remember that." he replied.

The Gray Cherry walked with him along the deep recesses of Cherry's mind which took a bit longer than anticipated. At least, in this world, as time passed by differently in the Waking World. They came across a maze that the only way to get through was to pass it to the way out. No breaking down the walls or trying to jump out.

"I can still take you and show you the way out, but when I do, you won't like me anymore." Gray Cherry said, very depressedly.

"That is NOT true!" Lionel replied. "Nothing you do would ever cause that to happen! If I didn't like you, then I wouldn't have traveled into your mind like this!"

"But don't you remember when we first met and I yelled at you all the time?" Gray Cherry sulked as she dwelled on the bad times. "I'm really sorry for that. I should've been more welcoming to you like the others."

"Look, you didn't like me, I know." Lionel replied. "So it hurt a little. You just needed time to warm up to me. I mean, apart from literally hating me for no reason," He paused. "...okay, it hurt a lot and I should most likely stop before I make things worse. Wouldn't be the first time."

Gray Cherry seemed to apologize for a lot of things before they came to a wall that opened up like a door. "That's the end." She then told him, still unhappy as a door came up.

"Sweet! All right, Cherry!" Lionel approved.

It seemed almost too easy as he came forth before a pair of glowing eyes appeared with a wicked smile as a sword was being levitated with dark crystals coming out from the ground which seemed to only mean one thing.

"...Of slagging _course _it's this self-centered asshole!" Lionel exclaimed. "Only HE would be petty and childish enough to do something like this! After all, this is the same prick who decided that he should just turn evil and curse an innocent young woman just because his girlfriend dumped him!"

"Must you always closed-caption your complaints?" Sombra glowered as Gray Cherry looked terrified of him.

"Not like it's not true," replied Lionel. "I mean, seriously? You get dumped, and then you throw a shit-fit and curse someone! No wonder she left you!"

"You won't stop me," Sombra smirked. "Cherry will never wake up. Visting Hours are almost over."

"Oh, yes I will!" Lionel retorted. "I've come too far to turn back now, and I'm not gonna let you stop _me_!"

"Let's settle this then." Sombra smirked as he gave Lionel his own sword.

The two soon sword-fought for a while as the music grew intense and dramatic in the background. It almost looked Lionel could actually lose the fight as the evil unicorn laugh maliciously.

"Hey, Horn-Head!" A voice called out.

"Who's that now?" Lionel asked.

"Why don't ya pick on someone your OWN size?" Cherry smirked as she was in a green hoodie and jumped down to beat up Sombra as she looked more brave and adventurous than the last Cherry.

"Whoa..." Lionel exclaimed as he felt his face heat up. "Gotta admit... That's hot."

"Boo-Yah!" Green Cherry beamed. "High-fives! Come on!"

"We can do that _after _we beat this shithead into a pulp." Lionel replied.

"Alright, but I gotta warn you." Green Cherry said.

"Yeah?" Lionel replied.

"This isn't the real Sombra," Green Cherry informed. "He's an illusion. I've been trying to help Cherry face him for the longest time. There's bravery deep down inside of her."

"Somehow I figured," replied Lionel. "I guess we can take him down together."

"Just remember what the Sandman taught us," Green Cherry smirked. "In this world though, I'm Lara Croft or Xena: Warrior Princess."

"Either way, it suits you nicely," Lionel grinned, morphing into John Rambo. "Okay, creep: HOW ABOUT A SAND-WITCH?!" he began shooting sandbags with a Gatling Gun. "**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!**"

Sombra formed throughout various different spots to pop out to scare Cherry before he then got hit and seemed to fall flat before crashing on the floor suddenly.

Lionel chuckled, holding a spring-loaded boxing glove. "Shoulda watched your back," He cracked his knuckles. "It's Moving Day, pal. So I hope you packed your bags, because YOU'RE OUT!"

"Hit the road," Green Cherry added with a smirk. "I'd say it's been nice, but I'm not one to be a compulsive liar."

"So..." They both said, charging their power. "**CONSIDER THIS YOUR EVICTION NOTICE!**" And they both fired an enormous blast of energy that engulfed Sombra.

There was a bit of a bright light.

"NO! Please! Not yet!" Lionel's voice cried out.

* * *

Lionel's eyes soon opened as he was back in the hospital room and pouted a bit.

"Visiting Hours are over." The nurse told him.

Lionel sulked a bit at first.

"Don't worry," Cherry's voice said in his head. "I'll see you in your dreams... I promise, we'll be together."

Lionel smiled a bit at that as he left. "Hopefully I improved her chances of recovery..." he said under his breath.

* * *

It was raining outside with light thunder and lightning in the background. A limo was pulled up beside the hospital as Alfred had driven it there with Bruce and Selina in the back-seat.

Lionel climbed inside. "Ugh... What a day..." he groaned.

"Sorry it was so rough," Bruce replied. "Like we don't have enough trouble with Hush's plans with exploiting others like he is now."

"Whatever," replied Lionel. "I just hope Cherry's gonna be okay."


	13. Chapter 13

A while later, they were back at Wayne Manor, and Lionel had some business of his OWN to attend to now that they were home.

"Poor Kitten." Selina sighed a bit to herself.

Bruce could only nod in response. Lionel just walked off with a lot on his mind. Bruce and Selina walked off to do what they would do, though both were just as, if not more, worried about Cherry's condition.

"Maybe when we beat out that Sombra illusion..." Lionel wondered to himself as he flopped onto his bed. "It probably didn't even work."

Lionel thought. "I guess some warm milk would be good," he replied. "I'm gonna put on my pajamas, so just leave it on my nightstand. I'd take a shower, but I think being out in the rain handled _that_."

Alfred walked off briefly and soon came back a bit with the glass of milk, knocking on the door in case Lionel was changing clothes.

"Done!" Lionel called, having finished putting on his shirt.

Alfred came by with a glass of warm milk for Lionel to help remedy him.

"Thanks," Lionel said as he took the milk and gulped it down. He then waited for a few minutes. "Strange... I don't feel tired at all," he noted. "I thought this stuff was supposed to help you fall-" he suddenly fell face-first on the bed, dead asleep.

"Good night, Master Lionel." Alfred said as he decided to tuck him in and walked off, shutting the door behind him as he let him get some rest while Bruce and Selina were both hard at work.

Lionel continued to sleep as within his mind, he tried to make contact with Cherry through the Dream Realm.

* * *

A group of Cherrys surrounded Lionel, all of them wearing different colored hoods different from pure black which was Cherry was probably best known for.

"Great to see you all again, but I need answers," said Lionel. "Is Cherry okay? Is she gonna be okay? Did destroying that Sombra illusion help things?"

"For the most part, yes," Yellow Cherry replied, sounding quite intelligent. "Shame it couldn't be the real Sombra, but this should help to the road of recovery from your skills we both learned from the Sandman."

"We'll get the real one someday," shrugged Lionel. "But about Cherry. Will she be okay in a week or so?"

"She should wake up again in at least two or three days," Yellow Cherry advised. "She's having a lot of stress from school bullies and the parents arguing which feels physically painful as it does emotionally."

Lionel sighed quietly at that. "Thank you... I'd say you dunno what this means to me, but you probably do," he smiled. "When she wakes up... I'll be there to see it."

"All you can do is wait!" Pink Cherry said with a giggle.

"I guess that's fine; at least I know she'll be alright," replied Lionel. "Welp... I got eight hours in here until I wake up. Any of you feel like doing anything until then?"

The group of Emoticlones looked to each other.

"I guess you could also visit the Council of Cherrys." Yellow Cherry suggested.

"That's not you?" Lionel asked.

"No, we're just representative of her emotions~," Purple Cherry smirked a bit seductively. "The Council of Cherrys are physical forms of her personality traits like in that Big Bang Theory episode with the Council of Sheldons."

"Huh... Okay, works for me," Lionel replied. "But how do I get there?"

"I'll take you there of course," Yellow Cherry said. "Cherry might not show it a lot in reality, but you mean a lot to her."

Orange Cherry let out a noisy belch before passing out like a slob.

"Ugh... At least this one isn't used as much..." Yellow Cherry rolled her eyes from that as she walked off.

"Oh," Lionel replied as he followed behind Yellow Cherry. "Thank you very much. I appreciate the help."

"Of course, it's my job to be intelligent and organized," Yellow Cherry remarked. "I do represent the knowledge that Cherry possesses, such as random TV trivia that no one else seems to care about."

"Cool..." Lionel said, though he sounded genuinely interested rather than apathetic.

* * *

They soon came to a council building.

"We call this meeting for the Council of Cherrys to order," A Cherry up front told the others around her. "Let's take role call."

A knock came to the door, so the door opened.

"Knowledge Cherry," The lead Cherry greeted. "Why have you come?"

"I thought you could use a little company so that Lionel can get to know us better for when we wake up into the world again," Yellow Cherry said. "Even though none of us really exist and we're just a personified creation of thought to pass the time during this cliché episode of a coma we're going through over the main storyline."

Lionel waved, glancing around. "Hello, nice to meet you all!" he replied with a smile. "They say too much of a good thing is bad for ya, but... I'm definitely not seein' it."

"We were just about to have a meeting, but I suppose you could join us if Knowledge says it's a good idea." The lead Cherry remarked.

"Okay then. I got eight hours to kill!" Lionel replied as he conjured a sofa with his mind and sat down.

"Now where was I? Ah, yes... Role call..." The lead Cherry said. "Scholar Cherry?"

"Present." A stereotypical nerd version of Cherry replied.

"Gotham Cherry?"

"Ugh." A young, female version of Cherry that looked a bit like Batman grunted out.

"Artist Cherry?"

"Salutations." Cherry beamed, wearing an artist beret with a scarf with a white smock.

"Where's Jock Cherry?" A clown version of Cherry chuckled.

"Not the time, Humorous Cherry," The lead Cherry scolded. "All right, this meeting is about what to have Cherry do after she wakes up, and so far it's to confess true feelings to others when it looks like the end of all things."

"Ooookay..." Lionel noted.

"Ugh." Gotham Cherry grunted again.

"Whose idea was this then?" Lionel asked.

"Melancholy Cherry," The lead Cherry replied. "That would also be me. We feel like a terrible person when things go bad... What's the point of living much longer when we're all going to die someday? What happens after we die and get forgotten about?"

"The point is to make the most of the time that we get!" Lionel exclaimed. "As for what happens after death? It depends on your interpretation! What I'm saying is, I get that you feel like crud, but life's too short to always be so down in the dumps! Besides, it's just not healthy."

"I often try to look on the bright side, but it sometimes seems like I'm right back to where I started." Melancholy Cherry sulked a bit.

"Sometimes I get like that, too," replied Lionel. "But you know what I do? I think of... Well... The blessings I have in my life. And while it doesn't cheer me right up, it helps me feel a little better! Besides, you know the best thing about being right back where you started?"

The other Cherrys shared a look with each other from that advice.

"What's that?" Melancholy Cherry asked.

"It's making your way back to the good stuff!" Lionel exclaimed. "That way when you arrive, you feel like you truly earned it!"

"Hmm..." Melancholy Cherry paused thoughtfully. "You just make it sound so easy... Though life can be painful sometimes."

"Never said it'd be easy," replied Lionel. "Usually most things that are worth fighting for are NEVER easy to get, but even though life can be painful, always remember the good stuff... Like a bit of information, I happened to glean during one of Bruce and Selina's talks before I dozed off."

"Oh, I like those two," Gotham Cherry spoke up. "They love us and feel more like parents to us than Mom and Dad ever had before."

"Then you're gonna love THIS little bit of news," Lionel smiled. "Apparently Selina plans on adopting you!"

"Huh...?" The other Cherrys looked a bit wide-eyed and hopeful from that bit of news.

"It's true!" Lionel nodded. "I heard her and Bruce talking and everything! Apparently she's gonna finalize it once Cherry is back on her feet and wide-awake!"

All of the Cherrys looked to each other.

"Well, I can't guarantee she'll wake up right away, but this could actually be a good enough shock to get us up." Melancholy Cherry said softly.

"I say we go for it!" Artist Cherry beamed. "We all love Selina and she loves us too. Sure, Mom and Dad love us a lot, but their arguments have made them more or less forget us most of the time," she said with a small pout before brightening up again. "This could probably be an end to all those personal demons for good."

"I don't know fully of that, but it does sound promising enough to help cure us while the others visit with their love and support in the waking world." Melancholy Cherry told the others as she took charge as Cherry was depressed most of the time, even if some others didn't always see that side of her, as the case with most victims of depression.

"That's the spirit!" Lionel beamed.

All of the Cherrys seemed to glow slightly.

"Whoa... You guys okay...?" Lionel asked as he stepped back a bit.

The Cherrys soon morphed into one and the door opened as the Emoticlones joined in. They all soon seemed to become one together before they spun around and she glanced back at Lionel a bit from where he stood.

"So... You're like the Ultimate Cherry?" asked Lionel. "Just guessing here."

"Yes," The form replied. "Thank you for the help. I wish I could wake up sooner, but I'm afraid I won't be able to wake up for another two or three days. You can still visit me this way until I can come back consciously."

Lionel thought. "You know what? I guess that'd be alright," he replied. "I guess we could both use the company."

"Yes," The Ultimate Cherry agreed. "It's the best that we've got until then. It's pretty good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too." Lionel replied as he sat down.

"Sorry I can't make this place too exciting." The Ultimate Cherry said, sitting with him a bit.

"Aw, that's fine," replied Lionel. "Being here with you is enough."

"Hm... Yes..." The Ultimate Cherry replied. "Could I help you to some desserts? You won't gain any weight or ever get sick from them over here..." she then smirked a bit as she brought out some cheesecake for herself.

"Thanks! Don't mind if I do!" Lionel replied.

"Ice cream... Cake... Pie...?" Cherry offered as she sat comfortably.

"Ice cream would be nice, thanks." Lionel replied as he took some and ate it.

"Good enough," Cherry accepted that as she took some cheesecake for herself. "So, are you and the others okay? I'm not keeping you guys from anything, am I?"

"Nah, of course not," replied Lionel. "We're doing our best to get by. And since my brief stint in school was only temporary, I've got all the time in the world!"

"I just feel dumb for believing that Lauren would wanna hang out with me," Cherry rolled her eyes. "Some friend."

"Like I said, she can go piss off," replied Lionel. "If she's gonna ditch you to hang out with someone else, then she doesn't deserve you! I say that the next time you see her, you should totally tell her off!"

"Well, believe it or not, a part of me has been fueled a bit from that," Cherry said as she reached inside herself to take out what looked like a bubbled form of a red-hooded version of herself. "This is my rage."

Red Cherry growled darkly as she looked ready to attack like a vicious predator.

"She seems to get hotter and hotter from each bad day at school from others who aren't you or Atticus." Cherry told him.

"Ah," replied Lionel. "Well... It's nice to meet you, please don't get mad at me."

Red Cherry merely growled.

"Kinda hard for her to feel anything other than rage," Cherry said to him. "She says it's nice to meet you too though."

"Good to know." Lionel replied, eating some more ice cream.

Cherry ate her cheesecake in a bit of silence as classical music played in the background.

* * *

A few hours seemed to pass by, though in there, it felt like time itself stood still. Both were a bit full from the desserts as they watched very old school TV commercials.

"Coming up next is_ Sitting Ducks_, followed by_ The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries_!" The TV announced. "This is Cartoon Network!"

"It sure is." Cherry said with a small hiccup.

"Huh... So this is what TV's like up here," Lionel replied. "Um... What's _'Sitting Ducks'_?"

"I watch a lot of the classic shows," Cherry said. "Sitting Ducks is an... Interesting show... It's basically a world filled with ducks and alligators who live together, though they all mostly hate each other. Though there is one duck and one alligator who are best friends. I didn't think much of it as a kid, it was just kinda... There."

"Oh," replied Lionel. "I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah, I remember seeing it when I was a kid, but at the same time, it's mostly 'This existed during your childhood'." Cherry shrugged.

"That fits..." shrugged Lionel.

Cherry took out the remote to change the channel a bit as they hung out in the dark recesses of her mind.

* * *

And so, several more hours came and went.

"I'm sure you don't want this to end." Cherry said as they shared a Ferris Wheel ride.

"I guess not," replied Lionel. "This is the most time I've ever spent with you and it feels great."

"I'm glad I could help a bit," Cherry said as they looked out into the horizon. "I'll be awake soon. I'm just not looking forward to catching up to homework once I'm awake, I'm sure I have some to catch up on for later."

"Ah, don't sweat it; I've been helping out with that," Lionel replied. "Used the excuse that I was tutoring you."

"Maybe I'll wake up after Hush is disposed of," Cherry said to him. "That guy gives me the creeps."

"Here's hoping he gets his butt kicked, but hard." Lionel replied.

"Kick it extra for me," Cherry requested. "I'm not sure how long I'll be here."

"Just so I know though... This is really you..." Lionel said. "Like... You're not an Emoticlone or one of those council members?"

"All of them fused together to become the real me," Cherry told him. "Well, as much as they can be since I'm lying comatose in the hospital due to stress, depression, and anxiety. I feel like my parents don't even notice that I'm gone."

"Well... Then, fortunately, you're gonna be getting adopted by Selina." Lionel replied.

"She does seem pretty maternal with me like Sabrina's aunts," Cherry said softly. "I guess I could use it right about now. Normally on a good day though, Bruce acts mostly paternal with me and often says I'm the daughter he never had."

"Ah... That's sweet," Lionel replied. "I think the papers will be set up by at least tomorrow."

"I see," Cherry said. "Just remember to visit me whenever you can and remember what I told you when you first came into my subconscious."

"You got it!" Lionel replied.

"Very good," Cherry approved. "See you when I see you."

"And you as well," Lionel replied as he took a bow, his image fading away.

Cherry waved to him as he was gone for another day.

* * *

Back in his bedroom, Lionel woke up with a yawn. "Well... That was fun." he said.

"Breakfast!" Alfred's voice called out.

At that, Lionel climbed out of bed and came downstairs to eat with the others. Surprisingly, he looked more upbeat than he had in days.

"...Uh... You're cheerful today..." Damian said to him.

"Mm-hmm," Lionel nodded as he ate. "That a new shirt? ...I like it."

"All right, what's up?" Dick asked. "You were pretty much having a mental breakdown the other day."

"I guess it's because of the girl." Damian piped up from that.

"Most likely," Dick replied from that as he continued his train of thought. "But now, you're pretty much singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."

"I did some thinking, is all," Lionel shrugged. "And I realized those gray skies are gonna clear up. In the darkness, we must look for the light."

"Well, that's a pretty good attitude to have, Master Lionel," Alfred approved. "You all could learn a lot from him."

Bruce, Dick, and Damian glanced at Alfred with a look that said "you're kidding, right?"

"Seriously, tell us what's up," Bruce said. "I know what recently happened with Hush wasn't easy though."

"Well... If you insist," Lionel replied. "I recently discovered that I was able to communicate with Cherry through her dreams. Kind of like a mental link."

The others looked to each other.

"That sounds virtually impossible." Damian remarked.

"We're not one to talk about that," Dick told him. "Lionel has his own special powers, remember?"

"Well, yeah..." Damian shrugged a bit from that.

"Also, telepathic powers aren't exactly impossible in this world," replied Lionel. "Anyways, she's coming along nicely. She should recover in two to three days... At least once we defeat Hush."

"You don't know how much that means to me to hear about," Bruce said. "I really care a lot about Cherry as much as I care about any of you guys."

"Glad to know that." replied Lionel as he finished eating, cleaned up, and walked off.

"Let's hope at least today is somewhat of an improvement." Bruce said as he sipped his morning coffee.

"No arguments there." Dick agreed.

"I'll message you if anything comes up." Bruce told them all as it seemed quiet so far.

The others nodded and quickly left to partake in their own activities until then.

* * *

School seemed to be a bit slow and rough without Cherry, even if she was gloomy most of the time. Atticus sighed as he missed his best friend a lot as he put his stuff in his locker. Mo was a little bummed out, though she continued on through the school day. Thor was pretty down in the dumps as well... As most of his classwork was drenched in his own tears.

"Come on, guys, it'll be okay," Atticus smiled sadly as they met up. "It's not like Cherry's gone forever."

"**IT JUST FEELS LIKE THAT!**" Thor exclaimed as geysers of tears spouted from his eyes.

Lionel, or Pietro, casually whistled as he went to his locker to get his things. Atticus and Mo looked to each other as they looked at him.

"Well, at least someone's taking it well." Atticus remarked softly.

"I guess..." Mo replied. "Though it's a bit odd. Last we saw of him, he just bolted out of the hospital and holed up in Wayne Manor."

Thor was still crying for a bit.

"What's wrong, Thor? Can't tie your shoes?" A kid laughed as he walked by.

"SHUT UP!" Thor glared as he grabbed the kid a bit violently which looked a bit scary. "There's a poor girl out there away from school who's in a world of pain and little bitches like you who ruin our days with your teasing and threatening don't make it any better! So if you don't have ANYTHING nice at all to say, do us a favor by shutting the hell up, walking away, **AND LEAVING US ALONE!**" he then snapped before he set the kid down who looked a bit scared to death from that.

"Whoa..." Lionel remarked, with a bit of applause.

Thor panted heavily as he looked red in the face before he sucked in some air, counting to himself a bit before he breathed deeply again and slowly out to soothe himself.

"I think that kid just peed himself." Mo commented.

"Sorry," Thor told the others. "Anyway, yeah, 'Pietro', you've been... Sorta happy-go-lucky without Cherry."

"Well... Let's just say she'll be alright in two to three days." Lionel replied casually.

"Hm..." Thor looked at him differently.

"Students..." Mr. Kraft greeted as he passed by them.

"Mr. Kraft." The quartet greeted back casually.

"...tough crowd..." Lionel muttered to himself.

"Sorry..." Atticus sighed. "I know Cherry's just dark and depressing a lot, but she's my best friend. Seeing her every day just sorta makes my day a little easier..." he then said. "Even if she's not really in the mood to talk. Just seeing her makes me feel a little happy and safe somehow."

"...You and me both," Lionel replied with a nod. "But I know that she's gonna be okay."

"You sound so sure," Mo said. "Are you taking medication?"

"What? No!" Lionel replied. "I contacted her through telekinesis!"

"Telekinesis?" The others asked.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Thor gasped with his jaw dropped before pouting as he crossed his arms. "I wish I shared a telepathic link with somebody. That way I could tell if they were making fun of me for being slower-witted compared to you guys or not, I can never tell what's a joke and what's serious."

"It all depends on the tone," Lionel told Thor. "And basically, I contacted her in the Dream Realm. She said she'd be back on her feet in two-to-three days, when Hush was defeated."

"Hush..." Thor said. "That's the guy that you guys, Batman, and Catwoman have been dealin' with cuz of Poison Ivy, right?"

The others looked at him from that.

"My uncle knows everything," Thor told them like it was obvious of how he would know about that. "Come on, guys. I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid."

"True on both accounts." Lionel replied.

"Well, in that case," Thor smiled sweetly before glaring. "I HOPE THAT HE FRIES LIKE BACON ON THE SIDEWALK! I hope that he scrambles like cheese and yolk on the frying pan! I hope that he fluffs up into a biscuit ball! I hope-" he then looked over a bit. "Is anybody else hungry...?" he asked wearily before he got back on track. "The point is, I'm fed up with that guy!"

"You and me both." Lionel replied.

"He just drives me** CRAZY!**" Thor glared as he punched his locker door suddenly.

"Mr. Moltenscar, please settle down." Mr. Kraft told the warlock teen.

Thor just growled in response.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Kraft glared sharply. "Do you want detention?"

"Do _you_ wanna suck my big fat-" Thor glared back.

"Whoa! Uh, it's okay, Mr. Kraft!" Atticus said nervously. "Thor's just a little cranky cuz he missed breakfast."

"Yeah!" Lionel added. "I'd be more than happy to help him calm down."

"Hmm... Quite..." Mr. Kraft said as he walked off to his office door.

Thor hid a smirk as he used his magic to lock the door and loosen Mr. Kraft's belt to make his pants fall down. Mr. Kraft struggled to open his door and gasped from that. Thor leaned against his locker with a laugh.

"Thor! What's gotten into you?!" Atticus scolded.

"I dunno, but I like it!" Lionel chuckled. "I would've NEVER thought to yoink his belt! That... Is just sheer brilliance."

"Guess I'm feelin' a little frisky." Thor smirked.

"Well, stop it!" Mo told him. "You could get in a lot of trouble! What would your uncle say?!"

"He'd probably be cheesed off at you..." Lionel realized. "Maybe you oughta keep these sorta gags on the down-low. Most folks might not appreciate your comedic style as much as I do."

"Hmph..." Thor crossed his arms with a pout.

"Well, at least you have a way to cope with the absence of Cherry," Atticus said to Lionel. "I miss her a lot too."

"Thanks," replied Lionel. "But at least she'll be better in a few days."

"Yeah, that's true," Atticus said. "Also, good luck against Hush."

"You'll probably need it." Mo added.

Lionel nodded in response. "Thor? You best keep outta trouble now, okay?" he asked.

"I dunno... Why should I?" Thor asked.

"Uh, because even though you're family, you're breaking the law of a young witch-in-training," Mo whispered sharply. "Your uncle would probably ground you and actually strip you of your powers if he wanted to."

"Oh... Fine!" Thor replied.

Lionel shrugged at that. "Atta boy."

* * *

And so, the four of them tried to spend the school day normally without Cherry. It seemed though she was very valuable to their group of friends that being away from her like this really tolled on them, though the other students didn't seem to notice or care about her not being there with them for class, but they're not the focus here, so they don't really matter. Eventually, the end of the day rolled around, and the students headed for home.

"Well, I guess I better go back home to wrack my brain about this family mystery instead of sulking about my sick friend." Atticus said to the others.

"Good luck, man," replied Lionel. "I'm outta here."

"Keep us posted about Cherry, okay?" Atticus smiled. "I'm sure deep down she appreciates your visits while she's knocked out. I might come by later myself."

"Will do." replied Lionel as he vanished in a blip of energy.

The other three soon split up to do their own thing for after school.

* * *

Cherry breathed softly as she lay in her hospital bed as Selina sat beside her niece as she took her hand.

"Let us IN!" A sharp female voice said before Selina gasped from that and looked to see a blonde woman rush in who then gasped back at her. "...Selina? ...What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Michelle." Selina said a bit firmly.

"I'm here to see my daughter," Michelle glared. "I got a call from her school. What is this about my daughter being in a coma?!"

"Well, I'm surprised you finally show concern for her well-being," Selina replied. "Considering the reason she left was to get away from _your _bickering!"

"What are you talking about?" Michelle glared.

"Your marriage has flown South!" Selina glared back sharply. "You and your husband have been so caught up in killing each other that you've forgotten all about Kitten."

"Kitten?" Michelle glared. "What kitten?"

"That's my little name for her," Selina cooed as she gently stroked Cherry's hair as she seemed to whimper a bit. "I've never had any children of my own, but I adore her very much. Michelle, I may not have any parenting experience, but I can tell that you sometimes have to be there, even if you might be having trouble of your own. You have to listen, be there for your child, talk with them."

"I do so!" Michelle replied firmly. "She's _my_ daughter, let _me_ worry about her."

"I've already got that covered," Selina replied. "Heaven knows I've been doing that for the past two months. She actually feels more at home with me than with YOU, her own mother."

"Well, I never!" Michelle glared. "Where is the doctor?!"

The doctor walked over as if on cue. "What seems to be the problem, ma'am?" he then asked.

"Ma'am? I'm this girl's mother!" Michelle told him.

"Well, she mentioned that she wants her father and aunt here, but that doesn't seem to be you..." The doctor said.

"_I'm_ her _mother_!" Michelle glared.

"I'm sorry, but the name I have registered is Selina Kyle," The doctor told her. "Is your name Selina Kyle?"

Michelle paused for a moment, though she had to shake her head honestly.

"I thought not..." The doctor replied.

"But I'm this girl's mother!" Michelle told him. "You _have _to let me stay!"

The doctor sighed, and exited the room. Michelle glared at Selina for trespassing.

"Oh, poor Kitten," Selina cooed as she stroked Cherry's face a little. "I hope that arguing didn't disrupt your slumber."

Cherry's finger twitched a little, as if she were responding. Selina squeezed Cherry's hand a bit. Michelle stuttered angrily before she stormed off from that. Selina then felt Cherry's hand clutch hers gently.

"Sorry about the disturbance, Ms. Kyle." The doctor told the woman.

"That's quite alright," Selina said as she tearfully held her niece's hand. "I'm sure we'll be fine now."

"Well... Her condition has improved," replied the doctor. "She should be out in a few days."

"Oh, thank you, Doctor," Selina said to him. "I'll be sure she has time away from stress once she can come back home."

"That's good to hear," replied the doctor before he left.

Selina smiled a bit as she kept sitting with Cherry, then put on a little music to help out. Cherry breathed shallowly as she squeezed Selina's hand a bit.

"I'm just glad that you're responding in any way." Selina sighed.

Michelle grumbled while her husband seemed to drink from some beer. "Honestly, Bud, how can you drink while your daughter is laid up?"

"Makes it easier to deal with you." Bud mumbled from behind the bottle.

The two soon left the hospital as they seemed unwelcome here. For the time being, Selina was happy to stay by Cherry's side and keep her company.


	14. Chapter 14

Cherry seemed to be lying across a field as she looked a bit peaceful and tranquil. POOF!

"Hey, Lionel." Cherry said without looking.

"How'dya know it was me?" Lionel asked.

"I figured you'd be missing me right about now." Cherry replied.

"...Yeah, you're right," Lionel shrugged. "I was bored, so I figured I'd pop in and see you."

"I feel just so chill and safe right now," Cherry replied. "I felt some pressure before, but it's gone now."

"Well... I'm honestly glad to know that." Lionel replied.

"Yeah... It was just dark and stormy here a few moments ago," Cherry said as she held herself protectively. "I guess something drastic was happening in the waking world while I was here with Kimba."

"Sure looks like it..." nodded Lionel. "I'll ask Selina about it once she gets back from visiting you."

"I thought I felt a warm embrace earlier..." Cherry said softly, almost very happily.

"That would explain it," Lionel smiled at her. "Bruce hasn't reported anything new on Hush, but he says to keep the lines open in case he has any new data."

"Well, I guess at least that's sort of a relief," Cherry said. "I'd just like that creep to be gone. I REALLY don't like him."

"Same here," Lionel agreed. "The sooner... The better."

"I'm sure you all can do it though," Cherry replied. "I just feel like if I were there, I'd just utter out some snippy comebacks."

"Hey... Every little bit helps." Lionel replied warmly.

"So I've heard," Cherry said. "Uh, I didn't miss any big hairy tests at school, did I? I guess the plus side of making them up is that I get to leave the classroom for a little while to do them."

"Nah, everything's been pretty quiet, really," replied Lionel. "No tests, no big quizzes, zilch."

"Hm... Guess I got lucky," Cherry said. "At least I know by the time I wake up, I'll be a bit happier with my life."

"And knowing that just makes me even happier." Lionel replied.

Kimba soon came out to Cherry and lay beside her.

Cherry cooed to him and nuzzled noses with him as he seemed to purr at her. "I'm sure after all of this, we can all get back on track," she then said. "Especially with helping solve Atticus's family secret."

"Yeah," Lionel nodded. "We just have one clue left."

"I feel like the answer is staring us straight in the face," Cherry replied. "This better be worth it. Like... We find out, then suddenly we get sent to a Hawaiian luau or something."

"That feels like bizarre timing..." Lionel replied. "Still, stranger stuff has happened..."

"Yeah, I guess life is funny like that..." Cherry said.

A random notebook soon flew over like a bird before falling into her hands. Cherry took it and wrote right in it right away as a random song played.

"Uh...?" Lionel asked.

"I have a song stuck in my head," Cherry said. "The worst part is that I have no way to find out what it is while I'm stuck here."

"Maybe I can find it out," replied Lionel. "Does it at least have any words?"

"Ugh, that's another problem," Cherry sighed. "I can't really make out exactly what it's saying."

"Well, then I dunno what to do," replied Lionel. "Best I have is to investigate it once you're back on your feet."

"I suppose," Cherry said. "I can hear the beat, I can hear words, but I can't make out what's being said. Ugh... Thank you though..." she then shrugged.

"No problem," replied Lionel. "...Apparently Bruce took the ultimate step and revealed his secret identity to Selina. So I got a good feeling about tonight."

Cherry looked a bit wide-eyed from that. "He must _really _care about her."

Lionel nodded.

"Hmm... So the plot thickens like my hair exposed to wetness," Cherry smirked a bit. "How soon until I can start saying Uncle Batman?"

"I'm thinkin'... At least a year or two," replied Lionel. "Best-case scenario, six months. Also...I did check Bruce's files, and it looks like I now know Hush's true identity."

"...You do...?" Cherry asked ominously with raised eyebrows.

"Yep," nodded Lionel. "Turns out it's Riddler. He's got Clayface helping him, too. At this moment, Batman and Riddler are at some other place, duking it out."

"Well... I didn't expect that..." Cherry said before holding her head. "I don't know how I would've faced that if I were there."

"Bruce would've most likely barred you from coming with him to keep you from getting hurt," replied Lionel. "On the positive side, this Hush business is good as finished."

"Oh... That feels great..." Cherry replied.

* * *

Cherry on the outside seemed to still be asleep before she cracked a small smile on her face.

* * *

"But yeah..." Cherry then said. "I'm allowed on only certain missions... Sometimes I like Bruce dadding me, sometimes I don't though."

"I can understand that," nodded Lionel. "Also...I have been taking peeks at other universes."

"Is that legal?" Cherry's eyes scrunched together like she had a suspicion.

"Sure!" Lionel replied.

"Hmm..." Cherry shrugged a bit from that. "Well, okay. Anything to report about those universes?"

"Well, there are plenty," Lionel replied. "A universe of pirates... One where Catwoman and Batman's roles are switched... The possibilities are endless."

"Pirates, huh?" Cherry asked. "Hmm... I guess there's a lot to learn about these. I bet we'll be learning about them sometime if that's possible."

"Probably, and probably not," replied Lionel.

"Yeah..." Cherry said.

* * *

After a while of talking, they came to an amusement park which seemed to be dedicated to Cherry almost like Disneyland.

"Oh, nice!" Lionel smiled. "This place looks like fun!"

"Well, I gotta keep myself occupied somehow before I wake up," Cherry shrugged. "Sometimes I go on the roller-coaster. I feel creeped out by the big-headed mascots though."

"...I see what you mean," Lionel replied. "Something about those dead, lifeless eyes feels off-putting."

"Tell me about it," Cherry grumbled. "I guess at least at Hershey Park, the mascots are candy, so I can just eat their faces off."

"Never been, but that sounds pretty neat." Lionel replied.

"Oh, it's pretty cool," Cherry said. "You get these pretty cool rides and even get to tour about how the chocolate is made, and there's also this roller-coaster ride with two roller-coasters that you go on and they race each other."

"Wow..." Lionel beamed. "We definitely have to go sometime!"

"Heh, good luck finding time outside of school and working with Bruce," Cherry chuckled. "I feel like we might have our hands full for a long while."

"Sure, but things will _have _to wind down in the interim," Lionel replied. "It's inevitable! And then we'll be able to go!"

"Hm... Yeah..." Cherry said.

* * *

They soon rode through a roller-coaster together, visited a petting zoo, got some pizza, and soon played a few carnival games before Lionel would have to wake up again until he could see her again. To put it simply, they had plenty of fun while they were in the amusement park.

"Wanna see a mind screw?" Cherry asked.

Lionel shrugged as he would let her. Cherry took a balloon before making the string straight and hard and bit into the balloon like it was a lollipop.

"Whoa..." Lionel exclaimed. "Then again, we're inside your mind, so if you think of it, then it's possible."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good point." Cherry shrugged bashfully.

Lionel nodded. "Still... It _is _pretty neat," he replied.

"Yeah," Cherry said. "Make the most of what you can here until we meet again. The world of my imagination is cool and all, but I sorta prefer to be in the waking world with you guys."

"Hey, luckily you'll get the chance to be back in the waking world again." Lionel replied. "Perhaps even sooner than you think."

"That's true," Cherry said. "I guess all I can do is wait. I don't know how it'll happen around here though. I guess I'll just be here for a second, then open my eyes back in bed like after a dream."

"That feels like it'd fit," nodded Lionel. "Either way, I can hardly wait for the big moment."

"You're not gonna kiss me awake like Sleeping Beauty, are you?" Cherry smirked playfully.

"Hmm... Maybe," replied Lionel. "Now that you mention it, sounds great. Maybe I could do it right before you wake up in the real world?"

"Seriously?" Cherry smirked a bit with a teasing tone of voice. "You wanna kiss the girl?"

"Sure." Lionel nodded.

The animals seemed to giggle from that.

"All right, if you feel strong enough to, I guess you could do that." Cherry shrugged.

"Great!" Lionel smiled. "I'll do it the next time, when I bring the others to visit you."

"Have fun with that." Cherry replied.

Lionel saw his hand beginning to disappear. "Until next time..." he said to her softly.

"See ya." Cherry told him as it was time for him to go now.

Lionel nodded as his body vanished...and he once again woke up in the real world. Things at school seemed pretty uneventful for that day, though Lionel barely noticed.

* * *

"Things seem kinda slow without your goth friend around, huh?" Drell asked as he sat with his nephew and the others outside of class.

"Well, she is my best friend," Atticus replied. "I've known her for so long. Especially with that coma."

"Oh, get over it!" Samantha complained as she walked by. "I've had my tonsils out twice, and you don't hear me whining about it! She's probably just faking it to sleep all day outside of school."

"Cherry would never do something like that," Atticus glared at the blonde girl. "Also, I'm pretty sure you can't have your tonsils taken out twice."

"Well, mine grew back." Samantha retorted.

"Tonsils don't work like that," replied Lionel. "Tonsils aren't hair."

"Oh, what do _you_ know?" Samantha rolled her eyes as she walked off, going to apply some lipstick.

Thor seemed to smirk as he snapped his fingers which made Samantha's hand go out of control and make her cover her whole face with lipstick against her will.

Lionel snickered at that. "Serves _her _right," he remarked.

Drell gave his nephew a look.

"Did I do that?" Thor asked innocently.

"I believe you _did_." Drell told him sharply.

"Whatever, no harm done," Lionel shrugged. "I was thinking I'd stop by the hospital this afternoon, check on our good friend."

"We're coming with you," Atticus smiled. "I know Cherry won't answer us, but I'd like to at least talk with her."

"Cool," replied Lionel. "I figure I could use the company."

"Could we go, Uncle?" Thor asked. "I miss Cherry a lot too."

"That's cuz you have a crush on her." Drell teased.

Thor turned bright red in his face before smiling bashfully. "No, I don't!"

"It's settled then," Lionel remarked as he ate his mac & cheese sandwich. "We'll all go to the hospital and check up on her."

"What kind of sandwich is that?" Thor asked. "It looks... Actually pretty cheesy."

"It's a macaroni and cheese special," Lionel replied. "Put it together myself."

"Hm... I'll have to try that sometime..." Thor said. "Also, I hope you aren't too busy with Hush so that you can still see Cherry after school."

"No worries," Lionel replied. "Hush is history."

"So you, Batman, Catwoman, and the rest of the Bat-Family will be okay now?" Thor smiled hopefully for his sake.

"Pretty much!" Lionel nodded.

"Oh, goody, good, goody goooood!" Thor beamed as he seemed to be cheerful and happy-go-lucky again.

"Well, you seem to be in a better mood now, buddy." Atticus said to the warlock teen.

"Um... I'm sorry..." Thor bashfully told the others. "I guess Cherry's absence has made me a bit of a bad boy lately. Not sure why that could be though."

"Maybe you were lashing out?" suggested Lionel. "Channeling your feelings in a different manner, maybe."

"Maybe..." Thor said bashfully as he rubbed his arm a bit. "Uncle? Am I in trouble for using my magic irresponsibly like that?"

"I'm sorry, Bucko, but you have to have a punishment for your misdeeds," Drell replied. "You can visit Cherry after school today, but you'll be spending this weekend with me to help me catch up with my Council paperwork. No friends over. I'm being generous with you for this."

"I understand," Thor replied before looking over to his friends. "Sorry, guys. Guess I'll see you in school next week after we visit Cherry."

"You're lucky you won't be a cat." Drell told him.

"I thought that was only for attempted global domination?" asked Lionel.

"That's probably the biggest case, but abusing magic or neglecting magical responsibilities can be another case," Drell replied. "Also, good work in Gym Class today, kids. Though, Thor, I don't think Mr. Kraft deserved to have a dodgeball thrown at him when he came to check on the class."

"I think so actually, especially when you try to keep him away from Aunt Hilda." Thor hid a small smirk with devil horns.

Lionel rolled his eyes with a warm smile.

* * *

The rest of the school day seemed to pass by relatively quick after lunch.

"These long school days, man." Atticus said as they met up in front of the school.

"At least it's over," Thor smiled. "Now let's go visit the hospital with some good news for Cherry."

"No kidding." agreed Mo.

It was a relatively short walk, but eventually, they arrived at the local hospital to see Cherry. Bruce seemed to be there with several stuffed animals and flowers for Cherry.

"Well... Good to see he has a soft spot..." Atticus remarked about the playboy billionaire/Dark Knight with how Bruce spoiled Cherry, even in her sleeping state.

"Glad to see you came." said Bruce.

"Like we would've missed this," replied Lionel. "I brought somethin' fer her too, but it ain't exactly the type of gift that can be wrapped or held, mind you."

"Oh?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, he's very eager to share it with Cherry," Mo replied. "So if you don't mind...?"

"Well... All right... I suppose you could share it with her." Bruce said as he stepped aside to let Lionel come towards Cherry.

Lionel stepped forward, leaned in...and kissed Cherry deeply for what felt like five whole minutes. The others watched, a bit surprised, but of course, not in a bad way as they watched what would probably happen next.

* * *

**_In Cherry's subconscious..._**

Cherry looked a little sad as she made illusions of her friends in the waking realm. It was good to see them all, but it wasn't the same and she soon felt herself get very warm.

"We can't really be your friends," Atticus-2 told her. "It's time to wake up to them."

"You should go back to them." Patch-2 agreed.

"You're right..." Cherry told the illusions. "You're all right... I must go back home where I belong."

"Atta girl." replied Mo-2. "Now go on. Your friends are waiting for you."

"Right..." Cherry said.

"Come, my lady..." Kimba told Cherry. "I shall help you into the waking realm."

"Kimba..." Cherry said with a small, but visible smile.

Eventually, Cherry rode on the white tiger's back as he raced with her through the fields of her imagination before a bright light was shown at the end of the field which engulfed them both in the bright light.

* * *

Cherry's eyes seemed to flutter a bit in the waking world.

"Well, she seems to be responding in some way," Dr. West told the others. "I have to give her some medicine, but you can come back right after. It'll probably take an hour or two. She'll most likely survive."

Bruce bowed his head a little as he felt worried about that.

"An hour, huh?" asked Lionel. "Well... Alright."

* * *

They soon came to the waiting room as they had a bit of a rough time waiting out Cherry again.

"Bruce, I'm not late, am I?" Selina asked as she rushed over to them.

"No, Selina, it's okay," Bruce replied. "Cherry has to be given some special medicine... She's very likely to survive, but we have to wait to be let back in. It might take a while."

"Yes... Of course..." Selina said softly as she thought about the first time she saw Cherry as she felt the most worried about the perky goth.

* * *

**_We are shown Selina's memory of Michelle's water breaking and coming to the hospital with her husband and Cherry being placed in the nursery of the hospital with all of the other babies who were born on the same day._**

**_"What an adorable, cute, sweet little kitten..." Selina whispered as she spotted her newborn niece among the group._**

**_Cherry seemed to shuffle a little._**

* * *

**_Another scene played as Selina was shown with baby Cherry, who reached out and clutched her finger to her chest._**

**_"You don't know it yet, but you're very special to me," Selina smiled as she carried Cherry who seemed a bit emotionless unlike most babies who usually giggled and looked happy all the time, she seemed to have a blank look on her face, though she welcomed the touch. "I'll do whatever I can to make you happy and live up to your full potential. I love you very much, Cherry. You're my kitten."_**

**_Cherry looked up to her while looking around, though she seemed to feel safe around Selina._**

* * *

"It'll be okay..." Bruce told Selina in present day, though he seemed to have the same thing on his mind: his first time seeing the perky goth. "It has to be okay."

Everybody had the same thing on their mind as they did what they could to wait out the time.

* * *

Eventually, two hours crawled by, and by that time, everyone had dozed off in the waiting room.

"Folks?" A nurse called which made them jolt awake. "You should come by right away."

The group looked to each other and rushed, but didn't run to go back to Cherry's hospital room. However, once they came to the room, the bed seemed to be empty as Cherry seemed to be gone.

"Whoa!" Mo exclaimed. "Not only is she up... She's also left!"

"But where could she have gone?" Atticus wondered. "We need to start searching. We'll turn this whole hospital upside down if we have to!"

"You guys don't think she got... Raptured, do you...?" Thor asked.

"Uh... I don't think so..." Atticus replied. "I'd hate to think that... That the medicine didn't work..."

Just then, they heard the sound of a toilet flushing, and then a faucet running. The group turned to see...Cherry, exiting the restroom and tossing a wet paper towel in the wastebasket.

"Cherry?!" They all asked with surprise.

"You guys have way too much fun, you know that, right?" Cherry asked them, almost like she didn't care for a moment.

The others looked bashful from that.

"I have to admit it, though," Cherry said with a very small, but visible, tearful and grateful smile. "Around you guys, I can hardly even tell when I'm awake."

"Of all the... I can't believe you... I ought to..." Atticus started as he reached out...and gave Cherry a hug. "Welcome back, best friend."

"Jerk." Cherry replied as she welcomed the hug.

"You're gonna be alright?" Mo asked Cherry.

"Looks like it," Cherry said. "Also, Dr. West highly recommended I relocate to a new home which was a big source of my stress and anxiety that led to my coma."

"I think that can be arranged." Lionel replied.

"Kitten." Selina smiled warmly.

"Aunt Selina." Cherry replied softly.

"I'll happily help you out," Selina smiled as she hugged Cherry. "I won't let anything give you a hard time anymore, especially with school."

The kids were happy to see this, as Cherry and Selina hugged.

"I say we all head out and celebrate!" Lionel declared.

"Can you still come out, buddy?" Atticus asked Thor.

"My punishment starts tomorrow, so for today... Carpe Diem!" Thor proclaimed.

"Wow, you actually used that properly." Bruce replied.

"Yes!" Thor beamed to himself. "Score 1 for me."

* * *

And so, they went to the milkshake place to get chocolate milkshakes to celebrate Cherry's recovery.

"I never realized how good these things tasted..." said Lionel. "Especially _after _it feels like you earned them."

"You're telling me," Mo added with agreement. "This has to be the best time for all of us."

"Mine tastes a lot sweeter than usual, so that must be the great gift Lionel talked about," Cherry replied. "It's so good to be with all of you guys again. I was starting to miss you all."

"Hey, same here," replied Lionel. "We missed you too."

"Well, well," came a smug voice. "Look who's back: Little Miss Emo Freak and The Loser Brigade."

Lionel spun his head around with a sickening cracking sound. "...Who the fuck said that?" he asked in a baritone voice.

"That was so epic and creepy at the same time." Thor said from Lionel's reaction.

Samantha had come over with Lauren and Breanna. Atticus narrowed his eyes with annoyance at the three girls who had come over.

"Oh... Hey, guys..." Cherry said, a bit uncaringly. "Ya know, at least Courtney Williams was honest about not liking me. Unlike you sickos, especially you, Lauren, when you would invite me to your house only to ditch me right after."

"Uh, I don't know what she's talking about, Samantha," Lauren said to the blonde girl. "I never hung out with that creep. She's still delusional from the hospital."

"Oh, really?" asked Lionel. "Speaking of delusional, how's your house? Still destroyed from the slug monsters? Now, let's get something straight: _all _of you will leave Cherry Butler alone and never torment her again. Otherwise, what I have planned for you will make death itself seem like a picnic in the park. **GOT THAT**?!"

"What if we don't want to?" Breanna glared. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"THIS!" Lionel replied as he inhaled with all his might, and let out a booming, Kaiju-style roar of anger, blowing back the girls' hair. When he was done, he cleared his throat. "This is the part where you run away!" he explained, as if he was talking to small children.

The three girls soon ran off while screaming like little cowards.

"And stay out!" Thor added sharply as his free arm held Cherry.

Lionel turned back to the others and took a few bows, enjoying the feeling.

"I was never crazy about those girls," Thor said. "I think that Lauren girl might be 'tri'-polar."

"I think so too," Cherry replied to him. "I swear, she had a breakdown whenever we watched TV together and fussed over a little thing, then I'd have to call for a ride home, then once someone came, she got over it."

"What would she fuss about?" Mo asked.

"Eh, something little," Cherry shrugged. "Like she asked if she could read my diary once, I told her no, then she told me I was being selfish."

"That's stupid," Lionel replied. "You're not selfish if you don't want to basically pour out all your personal writings and whatnot."

"Yeah, I thought so too." Cherry agreed to that.

"Still... Glad to have you back." Lionel smiled.

"Thanks, guys," Cherry replied softly. "Also, it looks like I'm gonna be moving furniture very soon."

"We'll be glad to pitch in." replied Atticus. "It'll be to Ms. Kyle's home, right?"

"Yep," Cherry said. "She has an apartment building, just so long as you guys don't mind cats."

"Hmm... I'll try... For your sake..." Mo shrugged as she wasn't really fond of cats herself.

"That's all we're askin'." Lionel replied. "Good thing it's a break in a few more days. Because they're gonna be VERY eventful."

"Tell me about it," Cherry agreed. "Selina's pretty excited about my company."

"And maybe pretty soon, you'll get an Uncle Bruce." Atticus chuckled a bit.

"Hm... Yes... It really looks like it." Cherry smirked slightly.

"And don't worry, man," replied Thor. "We'll find your parents, too. Even if it takes a little longer to get the last clue."

"Yeah," Atticus said. "We got a good chunk so far. I have so many questions for them too."

"Well, at least we'll have plenty of stuff to keep ourselves busy in the interim," Lionel replied. "Like these milkshakes!"

"Yeah! Interim!" Thor smiled.

The others looked at him.

"You have no idea what that means, do you?" Mo asked.

"Nah, not really." Thor admitted.

"Basically for the time being." Atticus defined.

"Ah... Okay..." Thor smiled.

"Or in the meantime," Lionel added. "Still, I think this one wrapped up nicely."

"Yeah, great job with Hush by the way." Atticus smiled.

"Thanks," replied Lionel.

They soon went to finish up their milkshakes, after another job well done of not just serving out some justice, but also with their true friendship staying intact, even after learning who their real friends were and a whole lot more from that. They had one last mystery to solve, but they had confidence in their skills that they could get it done as well.

The End

To Be Concluded in **_"Toon Force vs. The Fatal 5!"_** Until then, see ya!

Dedicated to the memory of Gabe Khouth (1972-2019)


End file.
